Seven Deadly Sins
by Black Thorned Rose
Summary: Danny's sworn arch enemy, Vlad, has come in peace to speak of a coming danger more dangerous than a ghost. What will happen when his knowledge of ghosts expands to the newcomers...homunculi. FMA crossover. D.P. main story. Read & Review.
1. Pilot Chapter

This Fanfiction is a cross of a few different shows, but the main themed show is Danny Phantom. Fullmetal Alchemist also plays a key role in this fanfiction, and future works of other great minds may find themselves manipulated in this fanfiction.

**Declaim:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist.

* * *

"BEWARE!" Danny merely sighed, cradling his head in his hand as a green ray of light shot from his free hand, knocking the infamous and husky ghost of boxes into the wall, sliding to the ground as his illuminating body smoked.

"How do you get out EVERY time I catch you in the thermas?" Danny asked irritably, deep lines drooping his glowing lime green eyes.

"I am the box ghost...!" The husky spirit stumbled onto his feet, then floating lamely in the air.

"I KNOW that already! Just...stay in the Ghost Zone this time!" Uncorking the metallic, cylinder prison, the blue beam of light consumed the box ghost. His form distorted, and was virtually sucked into the thermas-like container for the fourty third time, by Tucker's count. Of course, neither Tucker nor Sam were present at the moment. Danny merely remembered the numbers in his mind because he wondered if he would recieve a prize at the 50th capture of the pathetic blue skinned ghost.  
Sealing the metal cylinder, Danny straightened out his body in mid-air. The white circular light started from his hip, and two seperate circles drifted over his body. Gravity seemed suddenly to be apparent for the boy, and he dropped to his feet. The ivory white hair had become raven black, and his fierce glowing eyes returned to a subtle blue. The black and white outfit was replaced with his signature white tee shirt and jeans.  
Danny slumped into his own kitchen chair, yawning widely. His blue eyes seemed duller, in a way, and his hair was ruffled and lost its healthy look.

"Danny?" He didn't even glance up as Jazz entered in a silk night gown, flicking on the kitchen light. He winced at the sudden brightness.

"What are you doing up? It's nearly four in the morning!" She placed her hand on the table, looking directly at Danny. He continued to stare forward blankly. Jazz appeared very matronly at the moment, as if she herself was about to punish her little brother. Yawning again, Danny put his chin to the table and his eyelids lowered drastically, but the light forbade him to fall asleep.

"I don't know, Jazz. Maybe I got up to study extra for the test tomorrow!"  
Her eyes brightened, clasping her hands together.

"Really?"

"See any books, genius? I'm going to bed." Danny wobbled from his seat, but Jazz placed her hands on his shoulders to steady him.

"What's wrong with you? Lately you've been staying up late, and not eating well...", Jazz noticed the Fenton Thermas jammed into his jean's pocket, "...don't tell me it's ghosts...again?"  
Danny merely glared at his sister, shrugging off her support and stalking off. Jazz sighed as he disappeared into the room. Danny reappeared, walking backwards, and glared at Jazz one more time before shutting off the lights.

"Danny...Danny!"

"Huh? Wha...!" His picked up his head frantically, leaving a pool of spit on his desk. Sam retrieved her hand from his shoulder where she had been shoving him back and forth.

"The test's over."

"Did I fail?"

"Let's see..." Tucker interjected, picking up the paper sopping wet from his drool.

"I don't think the answer to number one is saliva, and number two wasn't 'blank'." Tucker dropped the paper back on Danny's desk with his two fingers like tongs, as though it were radioactive. Danny merely slunk his head back on the desk, his spit making a suction sound.

"Aww...gross." Sam and Tucker commented together, Danny lifting up his head to reveal shiny spots of liquid on his face.

"Nothing is as 'gross', here, as Mr.Fenton's grade point average." Lancer walked over, grimacing as he picked up Danny's test paper.

"Manson, Foaly, you can leave now. I have a few choice words for Daniel, here." Danny rubbed his eyes. Lancer seemed...different.  
Did he loose weight? Danny looked head on from his seat.  
_'Nope. Not that.' _He thought, shrugging away from the hugh potbelly.  
With one last pitiful look, Sam mouthing the words 'good luck' and Tucker's waving goodbye as though it were his last few minutes alive, they left the classroom.  
_'It probably is my last few minutes alive. Lancer's gonna kill me.' _Danny thought solemnly, feeling a bit better with the hours sleep he recieved from testing time. Mr.Lancer stalked back to his desk, the computer chair creaking as he sat down.

"Mr.Fenton, please come to the front of the classroom." Danny sighed, breathing in a few times to gain courage and remember the taste of air before he was shown on the news as the victim of the murder of Failure Boy. Still, he walked to the large traditional teacher's desk and sat in the empty chair seated before Lancer.  
_'At least the desk's between us...at least that'll give me some time to go intangeble before the knife comes. Hope Lancer doesn't have a gun.'  
_  
"Listen to me, Daniel. You haven't much time." Lancer's voice had completely vanished, and his eyes had faded to a crimson red. Danny leapt from his seat into the air, the white circular lights engulfing his body in nanoseconds and gravity held no bounds for him any more.

"Plasmius! What do you want? Oh, that's right, my mom. Too bad she's already married!"

"No, Daniel, listen to me! And by the way, that was a very cold thing to say." The malice returned to his voice, but then it dropped again. Danny raised an eyebrow at his actions.

"So...what do you want?" Danny did not lower his combat position, but his green eyes lost their intensity for a moment.  
Lancer's body slumped onto the dusk, his head cracking a pencil as it fell onto the hard surface of the desk. From his back, Vlad, aka Plasmius, emerged from his back. As the last of his form was wrenched from the middle-aged body, color flushed to his transparent ghost form. He floated at eye level from Danny, not looking menacing at all.

"I've come here to warn you."

"Warn me? Wait...this is another one of your schemes again, isn't it!"

"Daniel, just listen to me. I am not using you as a pawn...for now."

"What is it with you and chess? Are you obsessed with that stupid game, or what?"

"For your information, I was Grand Chestmaster in highs- stop getting off subject!" Plasmius shook his head, clearing his thoughts of the continuing distractions of these reminiscing conversations. Danny lowered his battling stance, floating near the ceiling rather comfortably. The shriek of the school bell rang in the backround, and he knew he was missing Phys.Ed., but he didn't care. Then again, Tucker would care for not making his head intangible during volleyball.  
"Warn me of what, then? Really, what can be worse than the Ghost King or...well...myself." Danny chuckled at the irony, but Plasmius did not utter a sound in recognition to his pun.

"There are beings coming. Not ghosts, but not purely human, either. Stay clear of them, Daniel. For Maddie's sake."

"What does my mother have to do with this?"

"How can you say such a thing! Maddie is lovely, beautiful, perfect...uh...anyways, they know no mercy, unlike my kind self...", Danny laughed,

"...honestly, though, steer clear of them." Danny got chills. Plasmius, his most hated arch enemy, seemed uneasy speaking of this. And if they were not fighting as ghosts, and he was warning Danny, then whatever was coming had to be bad.

"Worse than ghosts?" Danny asked, floating closer to Plasmius to hear better.

"I do not know what they are, only that they are capable of much. They have an entire foreign country in tradgedy and chaos." Danny shivered, more visibly this time. Great. He'd never be able to sleep again.

"Wait- if you don't know what they are, how do you know they are coming?"

"Ah, Daniel, you forget- I'm rich! I've been making generous donations to the military in the country of these creature's origins, and in exchange I get rather exclusive information. From what I can gather, they are coming for some sort of short 'business'. If you do not wake their suspicion, they may just pass through."  
Lancer groaned, slowly lifting his head as he rubbed his red forehead.

"Oh, butterbiscuits." Plasmius sighed, kicking the back of the head of the principle. Lancer's head thudded on the desk again, drool spilling from his opened mouth.

"Hey, could you overshadow Lancer again, then could you change my grade?" Danny's voice sounded hopeful. He floated down to the floor, gently standing firmly. The white light devoured him again, and he returned to the raven haired boy of his origin.

"Daniel, heed my warnings and keep your mother safe." Plasmius spoke, ignoring Danny's hopes of raising his grade without the use of the educational system.

"What do these things call themselves?" Danny asked, engrossed in this akward meeting.

"As far as I can gather, there are two certified names. One calls herself Lust, the other, Envy."


	2. And so Fear is Spawned

**Declaim:** I do not own Danny Phantom nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the plot and events I put the characters through are of my own original ideas from my unique mind and perspective.

* * *

Tucker frowned as Danny came into the cafeteria, ignoring his nervous and sweaty complection. Tucker's face, on the other hand, had red lines on it that looked similarly like the lines of a volleyball. 

"What took you? You knew we had volleyball today!" Tucker slumped in the bench, ignoring the sneers of the girls around. Sam shot them glances of pure hatrid and shadowed fury. The sneering seemed to stop almost immediately.  
Danny just sat down next to Sam, staring at the untidy surface of the table, his blue eyes lost and distant. Sam and Tucker looked at one another in silence, each then turning to Danny.

"Man, it can't be that bad. There's no such thing as a negative 'F'." Tucker attempted to add cheerfully, but Danny's strange actions did not waver. His pale face was set in stone as he mulled over the conversation in his mind he had with Vlad.

"Danny?" Sam asked, concern in her voice. Still, Danny did not make the slightest recognition he had heard her. He knew he should act normal, not burden his friends with the new paranoia that hovered above him now. He needed to clear his head.

"I'm fine. Really." The smile was so fake, if one touched it, the smile would crack and spontaneously combust.

"Are you sure, Danny? You don't look it." Tucker put in. Danny could feel the eyes of his two friends upon him, and he tried to broaden his smile more. Obviously, it did not convince them as they turned away, a slight frown on each of their faces. Instead, he turned to the grime on the foam tray and began to pick at it, holding his head up with his hand. Sleep was a distant memory for him now, wide awake with new thoughts and horrors.

**"I do not know what they are, only that they are capable of much. They have an entire foreign country in tradgedy and chaos." **

Danny sighed, pushing the foam tray away from him. Vlad's voice, so empty of malice and his confident intellect, replaced with fear, made his words that more haunting for him. He wanted to forget the conversation.

"Danny, will you just tell us what's wrong? We're your best friends." Sam spoke, putting her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. She did not speak in a request; more like a nicer way to word a demand.

"Yeah." Tucker said, putting away his precious palm pilot, finishing his quick game of Pong.

"Well, I never talked to Lancer."

"You walked out on him!" Sam asked, astonished.

"No! Plasmius was overshadowing him. He came to tell me something."

"What is it this time? Give your mother flowers?" Tucker laughed, but Danny's pale expression remained. But then he raised an eyebrow, turning his head to look down at Sam's hand.

"Uh, Sam? What are you doing?" She had never relieved his shoulder of her hand. She quickly retreated, placing it in her lap.

"Oh, uh, right...Anyways, what did Vlad say? And when you mean say...he didn't fight you?" Danny shook his head, gesturing they never fought during their meeting.  
"Well...he said..." Danny breathed in, and his momentary break only heightened the tension rising in the pit of Tucker and Sam's stomachs.

"He said that something was coming, it wasn't a ghost, but they were worse than one. Vlad said they had an entire country already fighting and in a complete wreck."

"Why would he warn you of them?"

"To keep Mom safe." Danny laughed, feeling a bit better he had spoken his fears aloud.

"What does she have to do with the...the things?" Tucker inquired.

"Vlad said they were merciless, but as long as I stay out of there way, I'd be fine."

Sam said, "Since when did you listen to him? It's probably just another one of his plans to destroy you and your Dad! Why else would he come and actually warn you of some kind of creature? Besides, did he say what country they were from?"  
Danny shook his head, but was not completely convinced. Vlad's voice had sounded so fearful, so urgent. And if he mentioned his Mom...it usually meant he spoke the truth.

"But Sam, he sounded so sca-"

"Hey, Fenton!"

_'Crap.'_ Danny thought, paranoia melting away as his new fear walked up to their table, dressed in his signature sport's jacket and surrounded by his mindless friends. Well, he was mindless too, but they always did his bidding.

"What is it, Dash?" Danny asked, surprised at the irritatated sound in his voice. He knew he had the power to avoid anything Dash threw at him, but Danny had found the guilt was too much. He had to endure this endless beatings.  
Dash crammed a large black top hat on his head, and dangled a diaper large enough to fit him before his eyes. Danny remembered the outfit perfectly. Spectra had forced him to wear it during false therapy.

"Time to put it back on, cause Casper High has just found a new shrink to help you with your baby issues!"

"Wonder who's gonna change him?" Chimed in one of the football players, and the group of five all laughed in unison. Tucker, Sam, and Danny merely glared at them.

"There is NO WAY you can make me put on that diaper!" Danny yelled at him, but Dash merely grabbed him by the scruff of his collar. Danny's feet dangled inches above the floor.

"Seems the toddler needs a time out." Dash growled.

* * *

"Your the one who chose a black eye over a diaper." Sam spoke, leaning against the locker as Danny stared at his bulging eye in the mirror of his locker. 

"I'd rather have a black eye than black mail." Danny spoke as he slammed the door to his locker, shrugging on his backpack. The three began walking down the empty halls, the bell ending school having rung a few minutes before. Danny turned his head to the school councilor's office, and indeed, there was a new counciler. He could see a shadow sitting down on a couch, another silhouette comfortably sitting in a swivel chair.

"So...why are you here, Mr.Lancer?"

"Lancer?" The three spoke in confused tones in unison, and a smile played over each of their mouths. In a matter of seconds, they each had one ear on the frosted glass window of the door.

"Well, Miss Tetra, I had a...a black out today. Well, sort of. I was giving the ninth grade their tests on French Alchemists of the sixteenth century, and found Mr.Fenton sleeping, as usual, during test time. Next I knew, by forehead hurt as I rose my head from the desk. I heard something about food, and then I awoke again to an empty classroom. I...I think I'm loosing my mind!" Lancer sounded paranoid, but the three had to stifle a laugh. It seemed Vlad had done something to amuse them for once.

"Memory lapse. It is common for a man your age." The counciler's voice was firm, but not in a cruel way. The three backed away from the door finally and continued walked, satisfied with what they had heard.

"Did your ghost sense go off?" Tucker asked, pushing open the doors to the front of the school.

"No. Seems Lancer picked a good counciler, for once." Danny said, his light hearted self returned.

"What are you going to tell your folks when they see your eye?" Sam asked, each of them finally escaping school grounds. Clouds hid the early spring sun from spreading its golden rays, and rain seemed hesitant to fall.

"I don't know. Jazz'll think something up."

"How has Jazz...ya know, taken to this whole thing?"

"Fine. She gets annoying sometimes, but for the most part, she comes up with better allibies than Tucker."

"Hey! Pressure is hard when your parents are glaring at me with plasma guns."

"Bowling? At three a.m.?"

"At least your Dad believed me!"

"But he believes everything." Danny retorted to Tucker, as he turned the street to go to his house. He waved one last time to Sam and Danny, then jogging to his house while holding his hat down as a wind started to pick up. Silence fell upon Sam and Danny as they continued walking, not akward, but just a time of quiet as though they need not words to communicate. The wind began to grow stronger, and Sam's black hair flailed in the wind. His raven hair became messed up again, and he remembered his fourty third capture of the box ghost again.

"The Box Ghost got loose again last night. This time, he was messing with the boxes of new silverware in the kitchen."

"Again? I wonder how he keeps getting loose. Does the Ghost Portal open by itself?"

"I don't really know. I think." Danny answered, stopping before Sam's front steps. She began to walk up the stone steps, and turned back.

"Bye, Danny. Good luck with your black eye."

"Thanks. Bye, Sam!" Danny began to jog away, waving behind him. The warmth inside his heart faded the further he tore himself away from her richly furbished home, and soon his placid and stubborn personality returned as he opened his door to Fenton Works. Even before he opened the door, he could hear the pneomatic hiss of ectoplasm guns as Jack and Maddie completed their monthly Ghost Hunter Scrub-n-Buff. What he was not prepared to see when he closed the door behind him was his mother sitting on the couch, gesturing for him to sit beside her.  
_  
'Oh, no.'_


	3. Of Wicked Comings

**Declaim:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plot and events I put the character through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

"Danny, honey, we need to talk." Danny sighed, plopping his backpack onto the floor. He stalked over to the couch, light catching on his bruised eye. 

"What happened to your eye?" Maddie asked, motherly instincts taking control of her. Still, her voice was not as sweet as those perfected mother's on television sitcoms.

"I...uh...slammed the locker door in my...uh...eye." Danny said uneasy. Surprisingly, she took it in as the answer. Danny could see something else was on her mind.

"Lancer called. He said you fell asleep during your history test. It's half of this quarter's grade!" Rage was hinted in her voice, and disappointment. Danny merely looked away at the fabric of the couch.

"Luckily for you, he can't remember ever recieving your test, so he's giving you a make-up exam on Monday. You better study, Danny, or you'll fail this quarter!" Maddie hugged her son, but the akward moment was broken by a loud bang in the basement. She pulled away, slipping on the mask of her teal jumpsuit and leaping to her feet.

"Oh, no. Your father forgot to change the ecto-blasters. Now, go study!" Maddie rushed out, running to the basement. Smoke trickled and rose to the ceiling from under the closed door. As she thrust it open, Danny noticed the smoke had a green pigment to it. It was then that his ghost sense went off, a fiercely cold breath escaping from his mouth. He stood up, franticly looking around to be sure neither of his parents were coming.  
"I'm going ghost!" He said to himself, the phrase burnt into his brain. The two bright halo lights consumed his body, and his jeans and tee shirt disappeared, replaced with the black suit lined with white boots, gloves, and trimming. A fashionable white 'D' was inscribed on his chest, the ends of the infamous letter trailing off. His untidy black hair was now as white as an Alaskan blizzard, and his eyes glowing green.

"Alright, show yourself!" He said to the roiling green smoke, although nothing happened. His legs no longer supported where he stood, and instead had become a pointed flowing form that seemed to aid him in floating. He neared the green smoke, fists clenched.

"Whatever you are, go away!" The green tinged smoke swirled, and Danny backed away. It solidified, and became the form of a simple ghost, a glowing green bat. It screeched, and the wail made Danny cringe. He heard a thump behind him, and shot his head around.

"Jazz!" Her normally well-kept red hair fell before her face, expression of extreme pain. She did not move, and Danny floated down to her, legs reappearing as he knelt before her. She was unconscious, and beads of cold sweat ran down her contorted face.

"Hey, winged rat!" The bat screeched again, wings beating hysterically as he bared his fangs, heading for Danny. Crossing his arms in a defensive position instinctively, he disappeared from sight. Color vanished from his form, and the bat went directly through him, crashing hard into the wall. It fell to the ground, dazed, and Danny came down upon it with his foot. But last second, the bat flipped over from his fallen position, and his fangs sunk into Danny's foot.

"GAH!" He cried, flying high, hair skimming the ceiling. He shook his leg vigorously, but the bat held. Finally, Danny held out his finger. A green ray emenated from it, taking precise accuracy at the bat's forehead. The ghost let go its hold on Danny, and the ray forced it into the floor. Danny ignored the pain in his foot and whipped out the Fenton Thermas, taking off the metallic tap and releasing the activation button. A blue burst of light consumed the bat, and was dragged into the cylindrical holder, form distorting and appearing to melt into the small prison. Danny smiled for a moment, but then felt pain shoot up his leg. He grabbed his wounded foot and saw blood seep from two small holes.

"I hope ghost bats don't carry rabis." Two halos of white light devoured his form as he gently landed on the ground, and he fell before Jazz.

"Jazz?" Her eyes flickered open, and Danny helped support her.

"What was that?" She asked, holding her head.

"A ghost bat. It's shriek must've knocked you out." Jazz merely nodded, allowing her younger brother to direct her to the couch to rest.

"You alright?" Danny asked, looking at her pained expression.

"Yeah, it's only a headache. Listen, I overheard Mom saying you failed your test." Danny sighed.

"I could help you study."

_'I knew that was coming'. _Danny thought, but he shook his head to his sister's offer.

"No, I'm gonna call Sam and Tucker. I'll study with them." Jazz appeared unconvinced, but the pain throbbing in her head was too much to protest Danny. She took her blue hair ribbon with shaky hands, tying back her red hair as best as she could. She smoothed out her blue pants and pulled on her black sweater's sleeves, smoothing out the wrinkles of the bunched up material.

"That's better." She looked to Danny and his unsure expression, but she stood firmly.

"I'm fine, little brother. Now, go study!"

* * *

"What's taking Sam?" Danny wrapped a strip of gauze around his injured foot, having finished telling Tucker about his skirmish with the ghost bat. A subtle cracking sound cut through the silence as Tucker opened their history book to the section on sixteenth century alchemists. 

"I don't know. She said she was stopping somewhere before comin' to your house." Still, Danny was curious on where she would have gone. He wanted to tell her about the ghost bat, and knew he had to have her help for the make-up test. Sam seemed interested in alchemists during history. At least, more interested than she usually was.

"Would you stop worrying about Sam? We have some studying for you to do!" Tucker spoke, flipping through pages in the textbook. Danny sighed, slipping on his socks over the gauze gently.

"Alright, fine."

"What year did Jean Beguin write "_Tyrocinium chymicum"_?" A blank expression spread across Danny's face, and his mouth merely hung open with a dull sound coming from his throat.

"16-...something?"

"Danny, everything in the chapter is 16-something!"

"Alright! Then I can ace this test no problem!" Tucker sighed, hitting his head on the textbook. In the silence, they became aware of rapid footsteps climbing the stairs. Before they could think or say anything of it, Sam burst open the door into Danny's room, breathing slightly hard.

"Sorry I'm late. I went to the bookstore and got a few books on Alchemy." The entire bed shook as she let go of a few large, leather bound books onto the mattress, making even Danny and Tucker bounce up and down for a few moments.

"Anything on sixteenth century Alchemists?" Danny asked, picking up a rather heavy book entitled:  
_  
"Basics of Alchemy by Tim Marcoh"  
_  
"I looked at that book. It looks really interesting. He also had a cookbook in the shelves." Sam sounded slightly excited at her find, but Danny was doubtful these books would help him ace the test.

"Did you get all these from that place where you got the Fright Knight's book?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"Just wondering." Danny placed the book back on the bed, grabbing his history textbook and skimming through the pages.  
_'Gold, Alchemists, Alchemy, French people- who understands this stuff!'_ Danny thought, shutting the textbook firmly in frustration. Instead, he opened the book by Tim Marcoh and looked at the table of contents. It seemed all like some strange cult, with _'Alchemical Laws' _and _'Transmutation'_ popping up everywhere. But one word caught his eye- 'homunculis'. He turned to the page number listed, and found the entire book was in the author's handwriting, only photocopied onto the book's pages.

"Sam, listen to this." Danny spoke aloud, and grabbed both her and Tucker's attention, tearing them away from the other books sprawled over the mattress.  
_  
"A homunculis is an artificially created human, born unto this earth from the remnants of a failed human transmutation. The homunculis itself appears and often has traits similar to the victim of the failed transmutation, but has also gained qualities unlike its human counterpart. They often gain unnatural abilities, as well as do not perish from any natural deaths. Illness does not affect them, nor can one conventionally murder a homunculis. I do not know if these beings can be killed, as there is not enough evidence to support the idea." _

A sparkle flickered in Sam's eye. A dangerous one. A glimmer that usually meant complete immersion in an interest. Danny merely laughed at the crazy thoughts along with Tucker.

"Where do you think they get this stuff?" Danny laughed, but Tucker merely shook his head. Sam narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, it's just as stupid as believing in ghosts, right!" She attempted a forced laugh, and left Danny and Tucker in silence.

* * *

The clouds finally gave in to the condensation, and rain fell from the heavens with precipitating fury. Water pooled along the concrete streets, and the night became even darker without its precious moonlight to guide those who found themselves wandering in the night. A chill wind made the rain slice through the air at an angle, and the dim illumination of the street lights was dulled even further. Buildings stood against the dark backdrop as even darker forms, FentonWorks looking like a building from fairytales, appearing like a maddened lab where one might find Frankenstein dwells.  
A taxi hissed to a stop along a residential area, water splashing away from the rubber tires. The cab driver quickly got out and opened the door for his clients. A long cloak was draped around a beautiful woman, her body perfect curves. Her long, black hair fell to her back in waves, shaping the cloak behind her. Following the lucious women came a rather fat and bald man, muscles bulging along his husky arms. Two more beings finalized the taxi's load, a tall and thin boy with large, spiny hair and a viscious looking child with unmanagable black hair. 

"That'll be fifty bucks." Barked the cab driver, but the spine-haired one laughed. His voice was strong and raspy, having a tone of superiority in it.

"Shutup 'n hand out the ca-" The cab driver's eyes grew distant, a trickle of blood flowing down his face. Lust withdrew her razor sharp weapon, the green fabric utop her hand slowly assuming its old place above her slender fingers. The index finger was drenched in blood, and a tiny wound in the cab driver's head had ceased what life he held. His corpse slumped into the sidewalk, crimson stained water draining into the sewage.

"Can I eat him, Lust?" Gluttony licked his lips, the insignia of the notorious serpent clasping its own tail flashing a moment, printed upon his tongue.

"Yes, Gluttony. And don't leave anything behind." Every syllable of Lust's words were wrapped in seduction, and Gluttony did not hesitate a second as Lust finished speaking, powerful teeth tearing into the human flesh. Red water gushed further into the sewage.

"Nice place, but what do we do now?" Envy spoke, hand about his exposed hip and looking around at Amity's neighborhoods.

"You remember, don't you?" Lust turned to her associate, flicking her head gently to push away a lock of black hair.

"Wrath, you and Gluttony take the train to Wisconsin. Envy and I will take care of things here."

"Done." Gluttony wiped the blood from his lips, and Envy laughed at the haste of Gluttony's appetite. Lust raised an eye at Gluttony, and it was then he uttered a sound as though he had remembered something. Picking up the bare bones, he crushed them under his massive hands. White powder floated utop the red water, and any traces of the innocent cab driver flowed down into the underground waterways.


	4. Stirrings

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plot and events I put the character through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

Sam tapped her fingers gently on the glass counter top, leaning against it as she awaited the popcorn and soda. Her eyes glanced to the clock in the far corner - one fifty three. The movie would start in seven minutes, and Danny nor Tucker were in sight. Sighing, she turned around again to face the concession stand workers pouring margarine on her bag, along with three sodas for herself and her friends...if they showed up. 

"That'll be twenty-two ninety-five, please." Sam reached into her skirt's pocket, withdrawing a hundred dollar bill. The minimum-wage worker's eyes widened as she handed the money to him, though he continued to give her the change.

"Thanks." She muttered, pocketing the change. Sam struggled with the large tray of refreshments, walking off into theater five to watch _Queen Chaos: End of the World, _hoping that Danny and Tucker would make it in the five minutes they had left.

* * *

"Excuse us! Sorry!" Danny and Tucker ran through the congested sidewalk, dodging the Saturday traffic as best they could, racing towards the theater. As the traffic dimmed slightly, Tucker easily caught up with Danny.

"How much more time do we have?" Danny huffed, swerving around an empty trash can. Tucker brought his wrist up to his eyes, squinting at his watch.

"Three minutes." He muttered, and the two began to speed up as the neon sign to the theater became more visible.  
Within moments, the two had burst through the doors and ignored the surprised yelps as they shoved through the crowds at the concession stand, racing towards theater five.

"One minute left!" Tucker said, and Danny was surprised to see Tucker run just as fast as him, even with his precious technology at his back.  
_'I thought Tucker never even wanted to see the movie.' _Danny thought as the two halted to a stop, swinging open the doors to theater five. Breathing hard, they walked down the dark alleyway just as the lights began to dim. From what light remained, Danny made out Sam in the top row of the stadium seating theater.

"C'mon." Danny sighed, the two best friends trudging up the stairs. Finally, as they neared Sam, they noticed her face light up a bit at the sight of them actually making it. Squeezing in the row, Danny plopped in the seat next to Sam, Tucker following him. He breathed hard, and it took a few moments before he felt rested enough to talk to Sam during the previews.

"Sorry, Sam."

"At least you got here." She whispered, smiling slightly at Danny. Her attention then snapped towards the screen as dark, eerie music began to play, the title page flashing into view on the screen.

Danny never meant to be so late, but the box ghost had escaped the Ghost Zone again in the morning, and he still had to get Tucker after he finally sent the pathetic ghost back into his dimension for the forty-fourth time. It hadn't helped that when he arrived at Tucker's, Mrs.Foaly said he was still getting ready to go. By the time the two had begun their walk to the theater, they only had ten minutes to do so. Danny would have flown them both there, if he had had the energy. Once again, his fitful sleep of waking and falling back asleep continuously had barely given him any energy at all. Danny still had no idea how he would ever stay awake during the re-test on Monday if this kept up, let alone pass the re-test.

* * *

"Wasn't that awesome!" Sam marveled, throwing away her excess trash. Danny had fallen asleep within five minutes of the movie, ignoring the screams, roars, and battle sounds that had pumped through the surround sound.  
"Ah...sure." Danny said, looking back at Tucker. He had an odd look in his eye, and by the looks of it, Danny guessed he had fallen asleep as well. Rain had begun to fall viciously outside once more, making the puddles of last night's storm overflow and create tiny rivers along the grooves in the streets. As the three exited the movie theater, they each put out their hands to block the rain from their eyes, jogging through the soaked sidewalks. Puddles splashed at their feet, drenching Danny's jeans in cold rainwater. 

"Hey, why don't you two come over my place? It'll get us out of this rain quicker." Sam suggested as each turned away from the busy street into a residential area.

"Sure." Tucker and Danny spoke at the same time, following Sam's lead.

By the time the three entered Sam's mansion, their bodies were completely soaked and shivered violently. A roaring fire made the large living room warm and inviting.

"Where are your folks?" Danny asked, looking around.

"Out, probably protesting. Grams is on the road with her bowling league." Sam stated, Danny's hands then grasping both her and Tucker's wrists. Color vanished from their bodies, and nothing seemed able to hold their touch. The three were immune to any physical harm, and the water that had doused their bodies fell and dampened the red carpeting. Letting go of his friends, Danny reappeared dry and solid, as well as Sam and Tucker. Tucker seemed a bit taken aback at first, as though shocked of what just happened. However, a content expression mellowed his face once more, and the tension left his body.

"You alright, Tucker?" Sam asked, beginning to walk up the stairs to her room.

"I'm fine." Tucker spoke reassuringly, leaving Danny and Sam to merely shrug at the matter and continue up the stairs.

* * *

"Woa." Danny muttered as he entered Sam's enormous bedroom. The uttered word was not exactly at her room, but at the sudden appearance of a wall to ceiling book case. Walking over to the bookcase, he craned his neck to gaze at the old, leather-bound books, reading the titles on the spines. 

"'Basics of Alchemy' by Tim Marcoh... 'Living Alchemy' by Shou Tucker..."

"Huh?" Tucker asked.

"Not you, these books! Sam, I think you're a bit obsessed, here..." Danny sighed, turning to her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Who, me?" Sam spoke innocently, but the eyeliner and black decor made it hard for her to look 'completely' innocent.

"Where'd ya get all this stuff?" Tucker asked, walking over to a bookcase and tenderly slipping out a book on 'The Art of Transmutation Circles'.

"Since when were you interested in this Alchemy garbage?" Danny asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Since half this quarter's history grade depends on it." Tucker answered blandly. Ignoring the conversation between Danny and Tucker, Sam placed the book Tucker had back in its place, then turning to the two of them.

"Wanna see the place?" She asked enthusiastically. Tucker merely smirked, nodding. Sighing, Danny followed the two.

_'Great. First an apocalyptic movie, now Sam's little shop of horrors...what now?'_ Danny thought sullenly. It seemed the only positive side to this Saturday's ordeal was the little ghost activity and the rain had finally cleared up.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'M REALLY, REALLY sorry how long this took. I had writer's block for the longest time...but I promise, the fifth chapter will be coming out soon. 


	5. Words to the Wise

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plot and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

Clouds hid the earth of sunlight, the pools of rainwater reflecting the overcast clouds above Amity. Walking along a long forgotten alley were Sam, Tucker, and followed by a reluctant Danny. He had absolutely no idea where this favorite shop of Sam's was, never mind what it was like. Sam always had a rather _open_ mind. Strangely enough, Tucker was willing to go to the shop, unlike his usual attitude that seemed to remain on similar terms with Danny's attitude.

"Where are we going, Sam?" Requested Danny, keeping the disinterest and gloom from his voice. Still, he enjoyed seeing Sam happy.

"I told you- to that shop of Alchemy books and the place that had the Fright Knight's book. It's called '_Fantasy's Final_'."

"Uh-huh..." Danny muttered.

'_Fantasy's Final?_ _Actual books on the Ghost Zone? Alchemy crap? Ugh...'_ Even Danny would never admit this, but he was curious, deep inside, to see this place. Obviously, someone may know something of importance there, if they mapped out the Zone so accurately.

Turning a final corner, Sam smiled, locating the shop. Looking up, Danny noticed the iron sign hanging above them, reading 'Fantasy's Final...worlds of knowledge.' Gazing at the sign, something caught Danny's eye. His blue eyes looking towards Tucker, noticing an odd smirk on his face...almost as though anxious for something...something he knew no one could do about. But as soon as Danny noticed this, Sam grabbed his wrist and dragged him within the shop, Tucker's wrist in her other hand.

* * *

As soon as Tucker and Danny were within the shop, whether of free will or not, Sam dove into the New Release section. Tucker looked around, the shop filled with the heavy scent of sage, sconces lining the Victorian style walls.

"Where'd you find that book on the Fright Knight?" Danny asked Sam, and she merely pointed to another set of bookcases, engulfed in reading the description of each new book. Sighing, he walked over to the pointed out book case, reading the titles along the spines of the books, nearly all of them appearing old and worn.

"Theories of the Heartless...Bending Fire...Flavor Guide to Bertie Bott Every Flavor Beans...what kind of a store is this?" Danny laughed, looking at the absurd topics he did not understand in the least. However, one title caught his interest. Slipping out a book tied together by a ribbon, he opened it, immediately noticing the scent of musty paper.

"The Essence of a Soul, by Hoenheim of Light...hmm..."

**BANG!** Sam and Danny jumped at the sound, each quickly putting away their books and rushing towards the source of the sound.

"Tucker! You alright?" Sam asked. A heavy atlas was sprawled on the ground, and Tucker quickly attempted to gather it up, appearing startled and angry in a way.

"Fine, fine..." He muttered, gaze distant.

"May I help you?" All three turned at a sweet, seductive voice behind them. Turning, Danny could do nothing but open his mouth in awe, unable to speak. A woman, with beauty almost as fine as the most delicately sculpted angels, stood silently before them, black hair falling in slow, graceful waves, features soft and utopian. The woman wore a green dress, fitted tightly to display the flowing motion of her body. Over this, she wore a simple beige employee apron.

"Uh...umm...uh...no, no thank you! But, uh..." Danny stuttered, mind dimmed by the beauty of this woman. Sam glared at Danny, and turned to get Tucker's support, but only saw him pick up the fallen books grudgingly.

"No, we're fine...I don't remember you working here, though." Sam directed towards the radiant woman. The woman smiled to Sam.

"I'm new here."

"Did Aerith hire you?" Sam asked, curious and perhaps suspicious of this new woman.

'_The only good thing about this is it takes Danny's mind off of Paulina.'_ Sam thought glumly. Taking a position behind the counter, the woman began organizing books and ringing in numbers on the old register, appearing to be slightly unsure of herself and ignoring Sam's question. Sam glared at Danny, smacking his jaw shut.

"Keep your mouth closed. Don't wanna have to make a dam to hold back that saliva of yours." With a slight sneer on her face, Sam returned to the New Release section, weary of the new employee.

Rubbing his chin, Danny looked to Sam as she walked away.

"What?" He questioned defensively, a sarcastic whine in his voice. Tucker finally rose beside him, looking to his two other friends with curiosity.

"Somethin' wrong?" Danny merely shook his head in a 'no' gesture, returning to the book case to continue to skim through that book by Hoenheim of Light...

"Where'd it go?" Danny suddenly asked himself silently, finding a book on herbs in its place on the shelf. Searching up and down, he could not find the book. Perhaps his progress was slowed by the occasional selfish glance at the employee. Sometimes, thoughts of her without that dress and apron on made Danny giggle...but each time, a book would seem to fly out of no where, rendering his head with massive pain, with only Sam left to glare at him, another book ready in her hand. But still...that woman was so beautiful! It seemed he found a reason to return to Fantasy's Final now.

* * *

"Danny! Phone!" Raising lethargically from his pillow, Danny crawled out of bed, gaining speed as he ran downstairs to the call of his Dad's voice. Grabbing the phone from his father, Danny yawned.

"What's up?"

"Danny, Sam's wicked mad at you...I think it's cause you were eyeing her yesterday..." Tucker's voice answered.

"Why me? Weren't you looking at her?"

"Of course, but...not with drool seeping out of my mouth and giggles!"

"Alright, alright, I get it...but what can I do about it? I have last minute cramming to do for tomorrow's re-test..."

"Danny, since when had a failing grade been a problem before?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nevermind...just, forget about studying and meet me at Sam's house!"

"Wait- you're the one who told me to study! Would you make up your mind, Tuck?"

"Just...oh, c'mon!" The ring tone going silent, Danny hung up the phone on the receiver.

"Sheesh. Would he make up his mind? He's been acting so weird lately..." Danny muttered to himself, proceeding upstairs to change.

* * *

Slowing the scooter, Danny halted before Tucker, he leaning up against Sam's house. Danny took off his helmet, securing it on the scooter's handle.

"I'm here, okay? Where's Sam?" Danny asked. Tucker stood from his place.

"I asked her parents. She went to Fantasy's Final again." Grunting, Danny felt he had no time for this. So what if that woman was pretty? Sam never made such a fuss about Paulina. Besides, an interest in older women was normal for his age, right?

"I don't have time for this." Danny muttered, taking hold of Tucker's wrist once hidden in the alley between Sam's home and her neighbor's home. Two halos of white light engulfed Danny's form, his raven black hair becoming ivory white, eyes glowing green. As gravity became a distant memory to him, and his legs forming a transparent roiling black form, a malicious smirk formed on Tucker's face.

* * *

Author's Note: Did any of you recognize the similarities in book titles to other works? On purpose, of course. Just a bit of entertainment, although it gives you an idea of what the shop is like. However, the crossover is, and forever shall be, Danny Phantom and Fullmetal Alchemist. Chapter Six coming within a week or two. Reviews and critiques greatly appreciated. 


	6. Burden of a Sin

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

Landing beside the quaint, though queer, shop, Danny released Tucker's wrist from his grip, legs forming from the black roiling mist that had occupied his figure below the hip. The white light consumed his form once more, returning to the boy known as Danny Fenton. 

"She better be here." He muttered to himself, sighing loudly. Tucker merely stood silently, as though awaiting for Danny to begin his move. Walking around the corner of the alley, Danny peered into the shop window, unable to locate Sam at all.

"She may be in the back." Tucker suggested, gazing beside Danny. Nodding to his friend, Danny opened the door, a tiny bell tolling as it rang out his presence.

"Sam?" He asked to the scented room, though it felt strangely empty. Slowly, he began walking around, gazing into the aisles of the numerous, old books.

"May I help you?" A smile played onto Danny's face, and he exited one of the aisles, eyes looking upon the radiant woman. He longed to touch her...just once, to see if she was real. Walking up to the counter in an almost dream-like state, Danny remembered all too well the reason for his coming today. Sighing, he ruffled his raven hair, averting the direct sight of the employee.

"Have you seen Sam? I mean, the girl who was here with me yesterday. Dressed in all black. Purple eyes. Short black hair." He inquired, Tucker waiting outside the shop.

"Yes, I have." Something wasn't right. The words slithered down Danny's ears like venom. But someone of this radiance could never be as vicious as Vlad or...well, his once future self, right?

"Uh...so, where is she?" But as Danny looked up, he suddenly felt a sharp pain through both his shoulders.

---

"**GAAAH!"** He cried out, shutting his eyes in pain. A burning sensation overcame his shoulders, and pain stung his flesh. He could feel his blood beginning to drip. Opening his eyes, he saw the woman...and yet, he could not say if she was a woman. The emerald atop the woman's hands had grown into sharp, thin blades, the thumb and small finger piercing his shoulders and locking into the wall behind him, rendering him motionless.

"Wha-" Danny croaked, gritting his teeth. He felt as though someone were holding up a lighter to each shoulder, tearing away at his skin.

"Quiet, boy." She demanded, voice confident and vile. It was now he finally looked into her eyes, seeing the cruel, livid purple and the vertical pupils. She wasn't human...and yet, his ghost sense did not go off.

"What are..."

"I'm bringing you to my master." The woman stated, smirking as she twisted her hand slightly.

"**GYEAAAAA!"** Danny cried out, searing pain almost unbearable. Glaring at her, he remembered what Vlad had told him just two days previous.

**"I do not know what they are, only that they are capable of much. They have an entire foreign country in tragedy and chaos."**

**---**

**"As far as I can gather, there are two certified names. One calls herself Lust, another, Envy."**

Danny narrowed his eyes, they beginning to glow a vibrant green.

"Lust..." He growled. She raised an eye at this, but only twisted her hand more. Attempting to hold back a cry, he bit his lip, feeling sweat bead upon his head, and a trickle of blood run down his chest.

"You've been reading books with that foolish girl, have you?" Lust spoke calmly, voice warm, and yet, stinging like toxin. At this, Danny opened his eyes.

"Where's Sam?" Lust smiled at this.

"_WHERE IS SHE!"_ He screamed, and the halos of light consumed his formed. Vanishing from sight, Danny could not surpress a sigh of relief as Lust's blade-like claws went through him, but not pierce him. In one swift movement, she retracted her blades, looking around, unsurprised.

"Come, ghost boy. You'll never find your girlfriend this way." Crossing her arms defiantly, Lust stood still, a lock of black hair falling before her face. A snarl of hate forming on his face, Danny reappeared. A twisted smile played across Lust's face.

"Where-is-Sam?" He demanded, hovering just above the ground. With lightning speed, Lust lunged at Danny, emerald blades out. She swiped at Danny, grazing his cheek as he flew out of the way. Startled by her swiftness, Danny struggled to stay out of her way, feeling the blades scratch at his face and chest.

"Danny, what's taking you-" Tucker stopped short, opening the door wide.

"Danny, this way!" Flying out of the door while facing Lust, Tucker slammed it shut, her five blades cutting through the glass, but not shattering it. Danny quickly flew down, holding Tucker under the arms as they quickly rose to the sky, watching in horror as Lust came out, watching them fly away.

"Where can we go?" Danny panted, now feeling the searing pain of the two wounds in his shoulders, the injuries stretching as he held Tucker. Still, he thought it better to suffer than land.

"Your house. Maybe an ecto-blaster can slow that thing down. What is she, anyways?"

"I don't know...but whatever she is, Sam is in danger."

* * *

**And so the world turns away from the light...**

**To succumb to the darkened hatred's might...**

**Fallen from the dearest of those lost...**

**Equivalent exchange through which something must be lost...**

---

"What?" Croaked a single blonde haired boy, right arm tainted in blood. However, it was difficult to classify the right limb as truly his, for it did not bare flesh. Metal and constructions of man replaced what would have been his precious arm. All around him was a large, elaborate room, and he stood upon intricate markings. Before him lay a dying man...or, at least, the homunculi of one.

"Ya fight good, kid..." Red stones fell from his mouth as Greed's stomach heaved, falling with saliva. The color of his flesh faded, and he did not have the ability to increase his strength by releasing numerous quantities of carbon- creating the 'ultimate shield'.

"Greed, you can't die...you're the ultimate shield!" Edward Elric fell to his knees, staring into the eyes of a dying creature. With sparks and rays of blue light, the blade that was his arm returned to its original, human limb shape.

Greed laughed at what he said, only causing more red stones to heave from his gullet.

"Please, just tell me what you wanted to say!" Ed pleaded. This information could restore his brother back...back into the brother of flesh, and not sealed away inside armor.

"The others...they're trying to-" Greed's face winced in pain, and he wretched again, the amount of stones thinning.

"Trying to what? Tell me!" Ed shouted, his voice fading away in the large room, only the sound of Greed's panting left.

"Trying to find...another way."

"Another way to what? C'mon, Greed, don't die on me here!" Leaning closer, Ed watched in horror as Greed wretched a few more times, becoming weaker and weaker.

"Our master...she is trying to p-" And so Greed fell silent, body appearing to melt away into the crimson color of the Philosopher's Stone...the stone that bypassed all laws of the Alchemical World...

* * *

Author's Note: As I have difficulty explaining what exactly Lust's trade mark weapon is, I will refer to them as emerald blades, or blade-like claws. Seventh chapter to be out in one week or two week's time. (Then again, this one didn't take too long. I give you maximum time in this little Author's section.) 


	7. To Fear and Darkness

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

Phasing through the walls of his own home, the basement now concealed them from the outside world. Out of pain and exhaustion, Danny fell from his flying, plummeting to the ground with Tucker. 

"Ugh." The two grunted as they each had the floor break their fall. Danny remained on the ground, wishing to rest. The black jumpsuit was torn in numerous places, and both of his shoulders were covered in blood. Standing up, Tucker attempted to help Danny stand, but could only cradle his exhausted body in his arms.

"What happened to you back there?" He asked, attempting to shake Danny back to a more alert consciousness.

"I don't really know...but we have to find Sam." Standing straighter, Danny shrugged off Tucker's help.

"How can we? We seriously need to get you to a hospital." Danny leaned against the wall, white light engulfing his weak form as he breathed slowly and carefully, feeling light headed.

"No. We need to find Sam." He spoke stubbornly, positive his strength would return. However, the blood refused to cease.

"Danny, as your friend, listen to me!" Tucker asked, voice becoming more and more demanding. Danny merely looked to him, now able to stand on his own two feet, no matter how unstable it seemed.

"Listen to me, Tuck- Sam might be in trouble. Who knows what Lust could've-"

"Danny!" Turning at the worried voice, Danny saw Sam rush to him, embracing him with complete concern.

"Ow...uh, Sam...ow..." Letting go of Danny, he winced. He saw tears well into her amethyst eyes.

"What happened?" She asked, looking at him tenderly.

"That woman at the store...she's the one Vlad warned me about."

"How'd you get here, Sam?" Tucker suddenly asked, breaking the tender moment of worry and wound between Sam and Danny.

"Huh? Oh, I called, but Mr.Fenton said Danny was looking for me, so I was waiting here for Danny."

"You called here? But Tucker told me you were at the shop, angry with me..." Danny and Sam looked deep into one another's eyes, staring at their own reflection within them. Each began to turn to Tucker when they heard swift footsteps upstairs. Muffled voices...and a thud to the floor. The door to the basement swung open, and someone was running down the long stairway. Quickly transforming into Danny Phantom with what energy he had left, Danny pulled Sam close to him.

"We gotta get out of h-"

Danny flew across the room, slamming into the wall before falling heavily to the ground.

"Danny!" Sam cried, rushing over to Danny after Tucker attacked him. A malicious smirk appeared onTucker's face, and behind him appeared Lust, fingers tainted with blood. White light began to spark and trickle from the top of Tucker's head, and Danny and Sam watched in horror. The red hat disappeared, replaced with long, spiny hair. The flesh became pale, face menacing and confident. The figure became taller, thin and looking strong. Clad in shorts and a midriff shirt, the figure walked over to Danny, lying on the ground, and Sam, kneeling before him. Going to one knee, the boy leaned in to the two teenagers.

"Boo." Sam jumped slightly, but the figure merely cackled in a raspy, superior voice, walking back to Lust.

"And here I thought defeating a ghost would be more difficult than beating up that blonde shrimp." The spine-haired boy shrugged, speaking in a tone that dripped with sarcasm and a temptation for a fight. Lust smiled, and looked to the open Ghost portal.

"Now where could Gluttony and Wrath be?" Walking gracefully over to the portal, Lust peered inside it curiously.

"What...what do you want with me?" Danny spoke softly, rousing the attention of the one called Envy.

"It's not what we want, it's what our Master wants." Envy stated, leaning against the wall.

"Would Gluttony and Wrath hurry up? I hate this wierd place..." Envy whined.

* * *

"Danny, I think these things are homunculis. Notice the symbol with the serpent clasping its own tail?" Sam whispered in Danny's ear, voice shaking with fear. 

Struggling to kneel, Danny peered at Envy as he gazed at the portal, noticing the symbol about his hip. Squinting at Lust, he just made out the symbol above her chest. It was then the portal began to glow brighter, and Danny stood up shakily, Sam supporting him. Through the portal appeared two creatures, perhaps even more frightening than Envy and Lust. One was just a child, but with unmanageable black hair, and an expression of rage and wickedness. The child's arm had somehow extended along the body which it held, taking on the appearance of steel. Within the winding grasp of the arm was an unconscious Vlad Masters, appearing to be encased in steel. Beside the child was a fat, but burly, male creature, beady eyes and teeth that put a shark to shame. Held in his muscled arms was Tucker, face frightened and skull encased in the creature's mouth, unable to move and barely able to see.

"Tucker!" Danny and Sam cried at the same time. Envy cackled in amusement. Gritting his teeth in anger, Danny held out his hand, ecto-plasm beginning to form into a ray.

**"AH!"** Danny cried, holding his hand. Lust retracted her pointer finger's blade, satisfied with the red slash that now occupied Danny's palm.

"Everything go smoothly?" Lust asked the boy, he smiling to her wickedly.

"Just about. Though I've never fought a ghost before...but Mommy told me what to do." The four congregated together, talking amongst themselves, appearing to be preparing to leave.

"Danny, are you alright?" Sam asked, looking down at the slash on his hand, then to the pierced wounds in each of his shoulders.

"No offense, Sam, but do you really have to ask that?" He hissed hoarsely.

"Sorry..." She spoke. Grabbing the bottom of her purple skirt, she tore off a strip of cloth, attracting the glance of Gluttony and Envy. Wrapping it around Danny's hand, she tied it tightly, then glancing at the four homunculis.

"Danny, do you think you can get us out of here?" She asked.

"What about Tucker?" Danny whispered, looking to his friend in the jaws of that creature, looking everything but calm.

"Can't you go intangible?" Sam asked, but then wished she hadn't. In Danny's condition, it was a wonder he was conscious.

"Maybe..." Gripping his fists tight, Danny focused all his energy on becoming intangible.

"I wouldn't do that, Ghost boy." Lust spoke. It was then Danny and Sam realized all their inhuman eyes were fixated on them.

"You see, my friend Gluttony can crush your friend's skull in the moment we find you missing. Either you come with us, or have your friend's life on your conscious." Lust spoke, gesturing to the large figure, voice calm and seductive.

Sighing, Danny ceased trying, looking down to the floor. Sam neared him, clasping his wounded hand gently in hers.

"Wrath." Lust spoke, as though an invitation to do something.

Nodding, the child known as Wrath grinned, glancing once at Sam and Danny before turning his attention on the portal. In sparks of blue, the steel arm that encased Vlad withdrew and became human flesh,Vlad slumping to the floor, unconscious. Placing the human limb on the steel framing of the portal, rays of blue shot everywhere like bolts. The green aura of the Ghost portalfaded to black, and the steel began to raise and transform. The steel doors became engraved, and soon the Ghost portal was no more. Before the present company stood an enormous gate, labeled with an eye. With a grudging creak, the monstrous doors swung open, within it black forms. One was only able to see their eyes, gazing about everywhere. Danny winced when Sam squeezed his hand.

"Time to come with us, Ghost boy." Lust spoke, Wrath again engulfing Vlad in a frenzy of blue sparks that seemed to transform his arm into a different, stronger substance.

"The Gate." Sam breathed.

* * *

Author's Note: And so begins four of the seven deadly sins, although one has perished under the strength of Edward Elric. Keep in mind, the storyline behind Fullmetal Alchemist is based on the show, but may alter a bit to my needs, and seeing as Danny Phantom never existed in it. Reviews appreciated. 


	8. Eyes of Lavendar

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

"Get off me!" Danny cried hoarsely. Shadow creatures wrapped themselves around him, pulling at him every which way as he was propelled forward. He felt so weak...yet he could not give up. Not in this land of darkness. As he struggled, he thought of Sam and what may have come of her...or Tucker. 

---

"_Let go of me!" Danny cried, Envy gripping around him tightly. The other homunculis merely watched in amusement._

"_Danny!" Sam cried. As she began to run after Danny, two blade-like claws pinned her to the wall, Lust having each blade close to her neck._

"_If you do not go, your girlfriend will die with a twist of my hand." Envy smirked to Lust, continuing to bring Danny before the Gate, he now ceasing his struggle. Tucker looked at him pleadingly, afraid to speak. Danny's glowing green eyes glanced to Sam and Tucker once more before he was distracted by the devilish creatures fidgeting before him inside this monstrous gate._

"_Take him to Ametris! I demand you!" Envy yelled at the creatures of arms and eyes, voice raspy and superior. Holding Danny out from under his arms, Danny watched as the small arms reached out to him, enveloping his limbs. Letting go, Envy stepped back, but Danny attempted to fly away. Strain appearing on his face, he flew onward, unable to go intangible. A few of the holds broke free, but the shadow arms doubled their efforts._

"_What do we do with the girl?" Envy turned to Lust._

"_Bring her. She is more leverage than the boy. Leave him." Danny gritted his teeth. He was panting now, and more arms had wrapped around him._

"_But can't I eat him, Lust? Pleeeease?"_

"_No!" Danny cried, but he coughed afterwards. The arms swiftly dragged him away into the darkness, eyes and smiles glinting with giddy happiness._

---

"Sam! Tucker!" Danny cried out, but received no answer. He squirmed, less violently now, unsure of what was to happen next.

"Is this...is this how it ends?" He spoke solemnly to himself. More shadows wrapped around him. He began to feel weaker and weaker, as if it was inevitable he were to die here.

"I'd give anything...anything to ensure that Sam and Tucker would be okay...then I could...go..." The shadows became more frantic now, and soon Danny could no longer see. As he began to slip from consciousness, he heard a strange, echoing sound, like a clap...

* * *

"D-d-A-a-N-n-N-n-Y-y?" A strange echo, like a rippling drop of water, spoke his name... 

"Danny?" A familiar voice...clearer now. Flickering his eyes open, Danny saw Sam above him, and he smiled. It was then the pain came back in one overwhelming sweep, and he felt a tear roll down his cheek. He bit his lip, and clenched his healthy fist tight. He felt Sam slip her hand behind his head, gently moving him into her arms. She cradled him gently, unsure of what else she could do for him.

"It'll be okay, Danny." She spoke, unconvincing. Danny merely breathed slowly, attempting not to cry. Although the bleeding had stopped, the immense pain had not. Each of his shoulders burned furiously, and his hand stung as though dipped in acid. The rest of his body ached terribly, and somehow...he was alive.

"I'm alive..." He spoke hoarsely.

Sam said nothing, only sitting motionless, allowing Danny to rest in her arms. Truly, she had no idea if they would be alright.

'Even if we're free of those homunculis for now, I have no idea where we are...' Sam thought sullenly. Looking around, they appeared to be on the countryside, laying in a grassy meadow, a dirt road just beyond their reach. What truly was on Sam's mind was the Gate...

---

"_Danny!" Sam cried as he plunged into the darkness of the Gate. Moving forward instinctively to aid Danny, Lust's blades scraped her neck. A red line appeared on her soft, milk-white skin, and she stopped as she realized the pain. Withdrawing the blades, Lust stood back._

"_What's going to happen to Danny?" Sam demanded, but Wrath approached her, a wicked look in his eye. In a flash of blue, his arm enveloped Sam like an elastic, and she squirmed, her efforts futile. The shadow creatures reached down, plucking the unconscious Vlad from the ground, swiftly bringing him into the darkness._

"_Have fun." Wrath spoke, letting go of Sam. The arms of the eyes and mouths entwined around Sam, she struggling to be free. Looking to Tucker one last time, she cried:_

"_Tucker!" But received no answer as she was plunged into darkness. Squirming viciously, she attempted to free herself of the grasp of the creatures._

"_Danny!" She cried out, but it seemed that nothing was her only answer. Attempting to calm herself, she closed her eyes, thinking as she continued to squirm._

"_The Gate is only a theory, never proven in Alchemical fact. It is said the Gate holds all truths, and was the creator of Alchemy..." Frowning in frustration, Sam punched her hand, but the shadowed arms straightened out her hands and pulled them apart._

"_Danny!" She cried out, and she heard jeering whispers within the Gate. Sam began to feel strange as lavender rays and sparks began to dance in her palms._

* * *

"I hope those boys know what they're doing." Within a small automobile, a strong, poised woman had a stern look about her face, arms crossed about her chest. Driving the vehicle was a large man- her husband. Her black hair was tied tightly in braids, held back with a hair tie, falling to her back. Gazing out the window in thought, Izumi noticed something. 

"Hun, pull the car over."

"Izumi, we should really-"

"NOW!" Sure enough, the car pulled to the side of the road. Stepping out of the car, she peered into the distance, the setting sun lighting the way with a golden radiance.

"What is it?" The behemoth of a man stood next to Izumi, Sigu Curtis. Without answering, she began to clamber through the tall grasses, finally coming to a cleared spot in the land.

"I believe we've found some stragglers." Placing a hand on her hip, she gazed down at two odd looking children, each sleeping peacefully. One had ivory white hair and a strange black jumpsuit on, the other a girl wearing a tattered skirt and all black.

"What do you intend to do?" Sigu asked his wife. Kneeling down, Izumi gazed at the two teenagers, looking to the wounds on the white haired one.

"Honey, set the table. We're expecting guests at home."

* * *

Author's Note: As a reminder, the plotline of Fullmetal Alchemist after Greed's death will be altered for my purposes. Edward and Al Elric will have begun to search for the Philosopher's Stone on their own, but more importantly, trying to find it before the Sins do. They believe it is their only hope, but have slipped from the eyes of the military. Danny and Sam will, obviously, be a major part. Hehehe. I'm now getting giggles writing this fanfiction. And so...our first official Friday deadline update! Woohoo! 


	9. Awaken Anew

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

Scents of flowers...swirling with the tempting scent of a roasting ham, as well as the crisp scent of basil. Flickering his eyes open, Danny had to recall where he was. Memories of pain, darkness, and dangers flashed into his mind. Reaching up to rub his eyes, he found his wounded right hand bandaged. Sitting up, he grunted, feeling stiff and aching. He found himself in a clean bed, and noticed he no longer wore his torn black jumpsuit, but a shirt far too large for him that reached to his knees like a night gown. At this, Danny became extremely confused. 

"What the heck?" He whispered to himself, pushing down the white covers of the bed to examine himself. All the wounds had been cleaned and dressed, and his jumpsuit lay in a heap besidethe bed. Turning to a window, rays of morning sunlight flowed in, the sound of children's laughter reaching his ears. Standing up, he stretched his back, hearing cracks as he stretched out his stiff joints.

"Ugh." He grunted, rolling his shoulder blades. Walking over to the door to the unfamiliar room, he opened it slightly, seeing a pot simmering atop a gas burning stove. It was then his stomach growled, and he realized how hungry he was.

'Man, am I hungry.' Danny thought, silently shutting the door, fearing to walk out into an alien room and begin eating food in front of strangers that had taken him in. As he did so, the mirror hung from the back of the door reflected the morning sunlight. Shielding his eyes from the blinding light, Danny lowered his arm when the light went away.

"Oh, no..." He sighed. Ivory white hair still adorned his head, eyes a shocking green, now wearing a large burgundy shirt and his boxers. Closing his eyes, he breathed silently.  
Nothing. Opening one eye, he looked into the mirror, hoping to see Danny Fenton.

"Okay..." Breathing slowly for a few more seconds, he attempted to transform again.

"Darn it!" He breathed.

"Why can't I change back?" He thought aloud, leaning on the mirror with one hand.

---

"Danny!" The door swung open, flinging Danny backwards, slamming into the wall. Shaking his head, dazed, he looked up to see Sam.

"Ahh! Sam!" Danny grabbed the shirt, shoving it down to block his boxers. Sam just laughed.

"Sorry." She apologized. Danny examined her, then finally wished to ask.

"What are you wearing?" Sam wore a button down, sleeveless white shirt along with black pants, the only recognizable piece of clothing Sam wore were her black boots.

"You mean this? My clothes were ruined...Mrs. Curtis lent this outfit to me."

"Who?" Danny asked, but Sam just shook her head. Offering her hand, Danny took it, standing up.

"Sam, I have to tel-"

"Not now, Danny. You should eat."

'Eat. Eating sounds good.' Danny thought.

* * *

A part of Danny shouted at him for being so rude. He shoveled down fresh ham and potatoes, savoring the taste of homemade food and just the essence of eating again. He chewed lively, ignoring the woman that examined him as he ate. Sam controlled herself to a further extent, avoiding the ham on her plate and eating with less barbaric actions. 

"Sorry about Danny...he's just really hungry." Sam attempted to pardon his actions, talking to Izumi who sat across from them at the table.

"It's alright. With the condition of you two in that field, I suspected you might be hungry." At this, Danny slowed, swallowing down a last piece of meat. He remained silent, however. Sam always seemed better at the talking.

"Uh...Mrs. Curtis..." Sam began.

"Please, call me Izumi."

"Okay, then, Izumi. Uh...where are we?" Sam asked blatantly.

'I could've done better than that.' Danny thought, sitting straighter in his chair.

"How would you two not know? Are you runaways?" Izumi questioned. Tucking a braid of black hair behind her ear, she watched the two children before her. Their movements, the way they talked, their reactions to her questions...she was quite intrigued by the two.

"Not exactly..." Sam began, unsure of what to do. Telling the truth may merely get them a one way ticket to an insane asylum, or it may benefit them, however unlikely it seemed.

"How can you 'not exactly' run away?" Izumi asked calmly.

"We were kid-napped." Danny blurted out, surprising Izumi slightly, being as this was the first time he had spoken.

"Kid-napped?"

"Yeah, but we got away." Danny drifted off into thought. After all, it was merely a truth, but without all the complicated details.

"I see..." Izumi trailed off, not buying their alibi for one second. She began to wonder who these two were. Their clothes had been so odd...and this boy, his hair white. Had he been albino, he would probably would have had red eyes like an Ishvarlan...and yet, it seemed they had no recollection of the civil war that was taking place, not knowing where they were. Or, for that matter, know why they were here.

"That still doesn't explain how you got those wounds." Izumi directed towards Danny, staring at him sternly.

'Thank god my parents aren't this perceptive.' Danny thought.

'Wait- my parents...' He had heard a loud 'thud' from upstairs when Lust had rushed to the basement.Was his familyall right?

"Daniel?" Izumi questioned, leaning closer slightly.

"One of the kidnappers attacked me, but I fought back."

"Now that we've told you about us, who are you?" Izumi smiled at Sam's question.

"Teacher! Teacher!" The three turned at the sound of a pleading child's voice. Glancing once at Danny and Sam, Izumi rose from her seat, walking out.

"There is NO way I'm going out like this." Danny spoke defiantly, crossing his arms. Shrugging, Sam couldn't blame him, and followed Izumi outside into the calm, warm day.

"Is something wrong, Alice?" Izumi asked a young child, kneeling before her. As Sam appeared behind them, the child glanced up curiously, then looked back to Izumi.

"My necklace is broke, and I can't find the claspy-hooky-thingy!" She whined in distress. Izumi merely smiled, taking the remnants of the precious jewelry form the young girl. Placing it on the ground, she pinched dirt and rock between the two places that could not meet on the necklace. Clapping her hands together, it sounded as though it echoed, making a drastic movement. Sam watched in a trance-like state, Izumi placing her hands on the ground. The necklace and all around it began to glow a bright blue, and then it faded. Picking up the fixed necklace, Izumi handed it to Alice, the young girl running away happily.

"Thank you, Teacher!" Turning back to Sam, Izumi quirked an eyebrow at her.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Oh, how wrong that pun was.

"You performed Alchemy...right?" Izumi merely nodded her head slowly, unsure of where Sam wished to go with this. Disappearing inside her own home, Izumi followed Sam curiously, but stayed out of the way.

"Hah! In your face, Danny! Alchemy does exist! Izumi just performed it!"

"Yeah, right, Sam, like that could ever happen."

"You always said ghosts never existed before a year ago!"

"That's completely different!"

"How so?" Izumi walked in, clearing her throat to announce her presence. Sam and Danny looked up immediately, amethyst and green eyes upon her. Izumi looked down at each of them.

"You ran from something, didn't you?" Izumi crossed her arms, glaring at both Sam and Danny. Each sighed, and Danny opened his mouth to reluctantly begin explaining the odd situation they were in.

"Izumi, I have the boy's clothes." Mr. Curtis stood behind his wife, looking down on the two kids.

Both their jaws dropped at the sheer size of the man. Narrowing his eyes at the two teenagers, they each quickly averted their gaze, whistling in hopes to appear innocent. Shaking his head, Mr. Curtis walked away. The tension that bound Danny and Sam left them immediately. Izumi just smirked, tossing folded clothes to Danny. Catching them last minute, Danny suddenly realized something.

"Wait- DID THAT GUY TAKE OFF MY CLOTHES LAST NIGHT?" Sam and Izumi just laughed at Danny, but he looked to the large shirt he wore now in horror.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this piece of information. It was rather difficult to construct, seeing as how Izumi is so intelligent and perceptive...and how Sam and Danny would obviously try and keep this a secret. Chapter Ten, coming soon! 


	10. Transmutation Point

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

'How did I get myself into this situation?' Danny thought, closing his eyes as another fist came. 

"UGH!" He sighed, falling to the ground. Looking up, he held his stomach tightly, mentally preparing for more pain. Grabbing the collar of the black button-down shirt, Izumi dragged a weary Danny to his feet, staring at him boldly in the eyes.

"I will ask this again- where did you come from?" Izumi had the right to be suspicious. In no way did she want to endanger anyone, and these two were the most mysterious children she had ever crossed. Well, if not save for two others, but they had been easy enough to decipher. No, these two posed a problem for Izumi...and it rankled her.

Glancing to his side, Danny noticed Sam wrapping the gauze Izumi had handed to her after she had caused the wound. Danny turned back to the seemingly psychotic woman.

"Out of the country." Izumi tossed Danny up into the air, eyes locked onto her target with a feral viciousness in them. Gritting his teeth, Danny contemplated on what to do. Unable to transform into his true form, he was forced to walk around as a phantom, and using his abilities without the choice to become Danny Fenton meant he would be walking around as a powerful ghost...and nothing more. Just as Izumi began to bring her leg up, Danny flew to the side, her heel clipping his jaw. Crashing to the ground, Danny rolled his jaw. Izumi walked over to him, picking him up by the back of his shirt.

"Where did you come from?" Danny closed his eyes, sighing. He felt relieved, somehow, she had not noticed his maneuver too much. Still, his jaw hurt like hell. Sam looked up to Danny, amethyst eyes somehow acknowledging that neither of them could take much more of this.

"Amity." Izumi slowly placed Danny back on his feet, looking sternly into his shocking green eyes. Coughing, he massaged his jaw, then sighing.

"Me and Sam are from Amity." Izumi examined Danny, glancing at the black button down shirt he wore, and the new rips that had formed on the jeans she had purchased for him. A small smile played at the edges of Izumi's lips, and she spoke.

"I haven't heard of any Amity."

"Yeah, well, I've never heard about this Dublith place, either, so we're even." Danny huffed, staring at her strongly.

"Hardly." Izumi silently entered her house, leaving Danny and Sam outside to recuperate in the relaxing weather.

* * *

"What the heck was that?" Danny sighed, plopping beside Sam. The rays of afternoon sunlight gently caressed the green land before them, the two hiding from the sunlight in the shade of a single tree. Down the cobblestone streets, children were at play, laughing at their frivolous game and enjoying life. Compared to Amity's honking horns and almost constant overcast, this place was peaceful, and it relaxed Sam and Danny. 

"I have no idea, but she seemed really angry..." Sam passed the roll of gauze to Danny, he beginning to envelop new scrapes that occupied his legs.

"Gee, I wonder why, Sam. It's not like we're holding back any information from her." Danny ripped a strip of gauze with his teeth, grabbing some medicinal ointment beside him.

"It's not that." Sam hissed, crossing her arms. Leaning back on the trunk of the tree, she allowed her mind to wander. Where were they? Surely no where near Amity...what bugged her the most was that whatever this place was, those homunculis hadn't followed, and the fact that they ended up here after passing through the Gate made everything more complicated to Sam. Wrapping gauze around his knee, Danny continued to complain.

"If she wants to know about us, she shouldn't beat the life outta us."

"Danny, did you ever think she was worried about something else?" Sam sighed, standing up. Danny looked up to her, watching as the gentle breeze allowed the long white shirt to flow, accenting her curves to her right. Although Sam and Izumi shared the same outfit, they appeared nothing alike.

"Still, she shouldn't take it out on us." Danny stood beside Sam, ruffling his white hair.

"Danny...do you think we're in another world?" Danny looked at Sam with a look of confusion and shock, beginning to laugh nervously.

"Another world? No offense, Sam, but this isn't exactly Mars. Besides, no one has ray guns or is trying to suck our brains!" Danny made a slight sucking sound, waving his arms frantically like demented tentacles. Sam just laughed, shaking her head.

"Not like that. But...think about it, Danny. We end up here after we pass through the Gate...no one here seems to even own a television set." Sam said. But at the mention of technology, each of their minds wondered what had become of Tucker, and immediatelyhoped he was alright.

"I don't know, Sam. The Ghost Zone is one thing, but a whole different world...?" Danny crossed his arms, staring out into the street. Sam, too, gazed at the children, laughing and playing without a care. It was then the children separated, staring at two men that passed through. Each wore a blue uniform, numerous medals hanging from their chest. Sam and Danny gasped, standing back behind the tree. The two military men turned into the pathway that led to Izumi's front door. Grasping Sam's shoulders, Danny willed them to become unseen to human eyes. One intimidating figure knocked loudly on the front door, each waiting patiently in the doorway. Izumi opened the door, face expressionless as she looked up to the large one before her.

"Ma'am, I'm Lieutenant Alex Louis Armstrong, sent to inquire about the Elric brothers on Colonel Mustang's behalf. Do not feel intimidated by my immense power!" The uniform tore, leaving Armstrong to pose in numerous ways, flexing his shining muscles. He smiled in joy, pink stars glinting about his bald head.

"Why couldn't Lancer be like that?" Danny laughed, but stopped as Sam elbowed him in the stomach.

"So...you two are military men?" Izumi asked calmly, looking away from Armstrong as he continued his poses.

"Yeah. Listen, lady, we just need ta ask a few questions." A blonde haired man spoke, cigarette carefully placed at the corner of his mouth as he spoke.

"I see..." Within a fraction of a second, the door slammed shut before them. Bolts of blue light were seen through the open windows, and a loud 'thunk' was heard from within the house. Armstrong and the blonde haired soldier looked to each other in confusion.

"Havoc, go around the back. I will use the Armstrong family technique to get through this door!" Placing metal spiked gauntlets over his hands, Havoc saluted to the large officer, running away without a second to spare.

"Why does he need those things? With that kind of muscle, he could just bust the door down!" Danny whispered into Sam's ear. Still, the two watched from safety. As Armstrong reared back his arm, the inscription upon the gauntlets began to glow a purple hue, sparking everywhere.

"HAH!" Armstrong grunted as his hand connected with the door. The purple sparks flew everywhere, then dimming down.

"What the heck!" Danny exclaimed, but Sam just watched with open eyes. Behind the door was a solid stone statue, but as they stared, it melted to the ground in the form of molten rock. As it fell, it cooled, leaving a black rock surface.

"What was that!" Danny exclaimed, but Sam elbowed him in the stomach again.

"It's Alchemy! Don't you get it, Danny? That guy 's a real Alchemist!" As Armstrong entered the home, they saw blue sparks fly from within the house, the walls stretching to spikes and creating an obstacle of stalagmites. In another flash of purple, iron spikes zoomed through the hall, snapping the stalagmites.

"Sam, we better get outta here." Danny spoke, each materializing and their existence becoming distinguished.

"What about Izumi! She might be psychotic, but she still helped us."

"You saw those guys! They're from the military!"

"And since when did you side with the law?" Sam asked Danny, smirking. Sighing, Danny grabbed Sam's wrist, beginning to run into the house as they became invisible to the naked eye.

* * *

"Lady, please! We don't want trouble!" Havoc pleaded, gesturing a 'no' with his hands. 

"Well, you've got trouble!" Izumi shouted, clapping her hands together. Blue bolts of light shot everywhere, finally revealing Havoc inside an iron cage.

"You are about to witness the signature Armstrong-"

"SHUT-UP!" Izumi flew from above, leg extended as she plummeted towards Armstrong's head. His massive hand grasped her ankle, and for a moment, Izumi lost her composure. Swinging her towards the wall, Izumi clapped her hands together, an odd echo following after. In a display of blue bolts, the wall became more malleable. The wall gently slowed Izumi's impact, then propelling her forward to Armstrong. Ducking, Armstrong dodged Izumi's attack, quickly turning around as she landed gracefully.

"You fight well for a big guy."

"Why, thank you." The inscription on Armstrong's gauntlets began to glow, and he shoved his hand to the floor. Like quicksand, the floor consumed Izumi, leaving her to struggle, stuck at the waist. Armstrong approached her, looking down to her.

"Are you willing to answer our question about the Elrics, now?"Armstrong spoke, but Izumi just laughed.

"Not a chance." Clapping her hands together, the floor transmuted into dust, allowing her to fall to the basement. Armstrong jumped, gauntlets glowing purple. As he landed in a crouching position he threw his fist down, making the floor of the basement make a wave. Flipping over it with ease, Izumi clapped her hands in mid-air. Landing on her feet, she placed her hands on the floor. Bolts of blue were sent everywhere, and the floor reared up with many, what seemed, wooden vines, entwining themselves around Armstrong's limbs. Breathing heavily, Izumi stood at full height, watching Armstrong struggle to break free of the floor's hold.

"Leave my house and never return. I do not speak to dogs of the military." Izumi opened her eyes wide as Armstrong finally snapped his restraints, shoving his fists together. A blinding amount of purple rays formed, and spikes transmuted from the remains of the wooden vines, flying towards Izumi.

"Look out!" Izumi felt a hand grab her shoulder, and suddenly, she felt unsteady. It was as though she were no longer bound to the earth. Cold crept within her, and yet, her heart still beat warmly. It was then Izumi felt steady once more, and could feel the sweat drip from her forehead. She looked to Armstrong before her, his face an expression of shock.

"How did you...how did you evade my pinning technique?" Looking behind her, Izumi examined a detailed outline of her body in the form of wooden spikes, meaning to have pinned her to the wall. As Izumi opened her mouth to reply, blood shot out, and she narrowed her eyes in distaste.

"Mrs.Curtis!" Armstrong looked up, quite alert, searching the person who had spoken the woman's name.

"Who's there?" Armstrong looked around, but then looked down to Izumi, her hand clasped over her mouth, blood seeping to the floor.

"We need to get you to a doctor. Right away." Placing a hand on Izumi's shivering shoulder, she swatted away Armstrong's comfort, continuing to spew out blood.

"My medicine..." She coughed. As Armstrong looked up, searching for the said bottle of medicine, he swore he noticed the door to the first floor swing open and close by itself.

* * *

Author's Note: And so ends Chapter ten! I hope I did good with the fighting sequence... 


	11. Spirit Enlightenment

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

The house was in complete destruction. If one had walked in believing it to be abandoned for decades, they would easily be able to accept that for a fact. Shards of wood were strewn about the floor, and one wall seemed to mimic the properties of a trampoline. The first floor now had a large hole about its middle, giving way to the basement. Within a large, iron cage stood Havoc, holding onto the bars earnestly.

"I do one little errand for Mustang and I end up behind bars..." Havoc sighed, taking a drag on his thinning cigarette. He could hear the transmutations occurring below him, as well as the little banter between Izumi and Lieutenant Armstrong. He perked up at the sound of someone retching, straining his neck to see through the bars.

"What the hell 's goin' on down there?" He spoke to himself, cigarette careful at the corner of his mouth. Smoothing out his blonde hair, he leaned back on his cage, confident his superior would get him out eventually.

"Where the heck is that medicine bottle?" (Danny)

"How am I supposed to know?" (Sam)

"I don't know! You're the one that dragged me in here, remember?" (Danny)

"Well, isn't it a good thing I did!"(Sam)

Havoc leaned in close, beginning to hear whispers down the hall.

"Hello?" He called out, but received no answer. Sighing, he relaxed himself, releasing some smoke.

"I must be goin' crazy...I swear I heard voices..."

**BANG! BANG! **The cupboards swung open and closed by themselves, the objects within it seeming to fall out without warning. Jumping in shock, Havoc quickly withdrew his rifle, cocking the gun.

"Who's there?" He shouted. The tip of his cigarette fell, the ashes falling to his feet. The cupboards stopped, though he heard the items on the floor being restless, as though kicked around. Hearing a rolling sound, he looked to the outer edge of his cage. Glancing up, he crouched down, gun up as he reached down to the white bottle. Grabbing it, he stood up, glancing around wearily.

"Funny. No label." Havoc looked at the strange bottle curiously, until a ray of green light zapped it out of his hand. Havoc fired a few rounds repeatedly, hitting everything but whatever had made the green ray.

"Ahh..." He winced, looking to his hand that now sported a small burn mark. Looking up from tending the new wound, Havoc stumbled back, falling to the floor.

"What the hell!" He croaked. The unlabeled white medicine bottle floated in the air of its own accord, before vanishing from sight altogether. Hearing frantic, light footsteps, he felt a chill run down his spine, fears iced with the closing of a door to the basement. All color vanished from Havoc's face, and he felt himself slip from consciousness.

* * *

"That was close." (Sam)

"Maybe next time you won't force me into a situation like this!" (Danny)

"What did I do?" (Sam)

"Ahem. And I quote:

'What about Izumi! She might be psychotic, but she still helped us.'  
'You saw those guys! They're from the military!'  
'And since when did you side with the law?' " (Danny)

"So?" (Sam)

"Stop toying with my guilt!" (Danny)

"Aha! So you did want to help Izumi!" (Sam)

"Shut up, Sam!" (Danny)

Armstrong stood abruptly, fists extended. He looked around, observing every detail of his surroundings, searching for a voice that had spoken to a colleague of some sort to quiet down.

"Show yourself!" Armstrong demanded, eyes gazing around. Debris was scattered about his feet, and a slight dust loomed in the air. With yet another coughing feet, Izumi distracted Armstrong from his surveying. She wiped the blood from her mouth with her white sleeve, now sitting in a chair Armstrong had transmuted for her. At this point, her home was a mess. Even with alchemy, it would be quite the undertaking to fix everything.

"Madame, are you sure you don't know where your medicine is?" Izumi sighed, reluctantly accepting the Lieutenant's aid.

"I'm su-" With a tiny rustle and clicking sound, Izumi looked to her feet. Before her stood the white bottle containing the remedy Dante had made for her before she had perished.

"There." Izumi spoke hoarsely, looking down in a mixture of curiosity and shock. Armstrong, too, was taken aback at the sudden appearance of the bottle. Picking it up cautiously as though containing a fragile substance, he easily opened the bottle, handing it to Izumi. She beginning to consume whatever remedy was within the bottle, Armstrong turned from his subject. Walking forward, he looked around. His instincts told him he was not alone.

"Havoc? How are you holding up in there?" Armstrong shouted to the first floor.

No reply.

"Havoc?" Armstrong craned his neck to gaze through the large opening in the floors, only seeing an empty cage.

"Something isn't right..." Armstrong mused, rubbing his chin in thought. Turning to Izumi, he approached her.

"Ma'am, are you ready to tell us about the Elrics now?" Izumi glared, controlling her breathing.

"They're fine, I assure you."

"Mrs.Curtis, the Colonel needs to know a location."

"Well, I don't know. They left weeks ago."

"Really? I have a strange account of a murder in the mountains...something with an old woman, and someone traveling to the old woman's manor stated they saw a short blonde boy and an armored companion walking away."

Izumi glared at Armstrong, but he merely stared sternly back.

"I thank you for your help, but I don't know where the Elrics are." Armstrong sighed, watching as Izumi strained to stand up.

"Mrs.Curtis, you need some medi-"

**"GHOSTS!"** The two snapped their attention to upstairs, hearing the frantic scream of Havoc.

"Shhh! Shut up!" Another voice...no, two voices, replied. Izumi's eyes widened as Armstrong sprinted up the stairs, fists clenched. She recognized those voices. Danny and Sam from Amity.

* * *

"Darn it! I thought that guy was out cold!" Danny whined, running out of the house, Sam at his tail. Behind them, Havoc gawked, cigarette fallen out of his mouth, unsure how he had gotten out of his cage while he was unconscious.

"Why didn't you just stay invisible?"

"It takes a lot out of a guy!" Danny retorted, the two jumping over the solid rock formation that now occupied Izumi's front doorway.

"STOP!" Danny and Sam began running faster, frowning as they heard large and swift footsteps behind them.

"Gah!" Danny faltered. Grasping his shoulder, he fell to the ground. His face dug into the dirt, bodydragging along the cobblestones.

"Danny!" Sam stopped quickly, turning on her heels. Grabbing Danny with the wrist, she looked up, met with the sight of Armstrong running at the speed of a freight train.

"AHHH!" Sam began running, having no time to help Danny up.

"OW!" Rock.

"GAH!" Dirt.

"OOOHH!" Sam's heel.

"STOP, YOU TWO!" Armstrong shouted. Pounding his fists on the ground, a purple light illuminated the transmutation circle on his gauntlets. Like a wave, the ground reared up. Danny looking back a split second before the wave hit, he watched in horror as the two went flailing into the air like psychotic penguins that thought they could fly, before falling to the ground that had resumed its normal texture - REALLY hard.

"OWW!" The two spoke simultaneously, rubbing their butts, Danny still clutching his right shoulder. The wound Lust had marked him with reopened, and blood now trickled down the new black shirt Izumi had given to him. Clutching the two by the back of the shirt, Armstrong easily picked the two up, forcing them to look at him. Danny winced, still holding his right shoulder. Sam merely feigned a smile, trying to look innocent. However, lacking in the experience of being innocent made Sam's expression turn out frightening.

"What were you doing in there?" Armstrong spoke, thousands of questions coming to mind.

"Uh...umm..." Sam struggled, unsure of any convincing alibi.

* * *

Izumi rushed up the stairs, looking to Havoc, eyes wide and face pale. Examining the cage, she deduced that there was no way he could've gotten out. Besides, he looked like he didn't know a transmutation circle from a sewing circle.

"Those two are going to kill me, I swear..." Still, a small smile played at Izumi's lips. She didn't know how, or why, but she believed those two to be part of something much bigger. It was as though an Alchemical aura just resonated around them, filling her with both hope and a strange thirst for truth.

Stumbling over the dried rock, Izumi glared at Armstrong, he setting down the two. Clapping her hands together, the sound distracted the three of them, each turning back. Smirking, she placed her hands on the cobblestone path. Rearing up like a serpent, the rock and earth wrapped around Armstrong, forming an earthen wrap around him.

"Go! I don't know who- or what, you are...but just go! Now!" Danny nodded to Izumi's words. Grabbing Sam's wrist, he knew he had to get out of there as soon as possible, and there was only one way to do that. Legs forming into a roiling black mist, the two surged into the sky. Danny flew higher and higher, trying to appear like a flying dot from below.

Izumi watched the two fly off in awe, filled with a new curiosity. Whatever that Danny was, or where Sam came from, the two would always push Izumi on to learn about Alchemy...and the two would always remind her of two rambunctious boys she knew, now searching for an ethical way to create a Philosopher's Stone.

* * *

Author's Note: And so ends Chapter Eleven. If I must, I shall clarify the following passage:

"OW!" Rock.

"GAH!" Dirt.

"OOOHH!" Sam's heel.

When it states 'rock' or 'dirt' after Danny exclaiming his pain, that particular object is the reason for his shouting in pain. Oh, and the parantheses after dialogue above explains whether Sam or Danny is speaking. It is in parantheses to display the tone and feel that, although we know who it is, Havoc, Armstrong, and for the most part, Izumi, are clueless to whom the voices are being made. H'okay, got to go!

Coming Soon:

CHAPTER TWELVE!


	12. Mirrored Meetings

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

The air caressed Danny and Sam, each flying within the depths of the azure sky. The wind ruffled Danny's white hair, and cooled his wounds. It relaxed the two, each succumbed to silence. Thoughts ran through their minds, thoughts of where they were, or how to return home. Alchemy was a new reality, and seemed to make things all the more complicated. Sam tucked a strand of flailing black hair behind her ear, glancing to Danny.

"Where do we go?" She asked. What surprised Sam the most was they were not met with one airplane at this point. Although Dublith had been a unique town, she took it for a small, quaint town, probably technologically neglected, or following laws of the Amish.

"I don't know..." Danny sighed, looking onward through the sky. Why were they even here? What did those homunculis want with him? Strangely enough, he pitied Vlad at this point, but wasted no time in grieving. Bothering Danny the most was this whole situation...a gate, strange military men, Alchemy that makes crazy stuff pop out of the ground... Sam shivered, collecting droplets of water as they flew through a cloud. Pulling his arm gently, Danny hugged Sam closer to him. The two blushed, but allowed the subtle gesture to speak for itself.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"I tried to tell you before, but I guess it's pretty obvious right now...but..."

"What?" Sam asked, voice curious.

"I can't change back! I don't know why, but I can't be Danny Fenton in this weird place...I can only be Danny Phantom."

"What!" Sam asked, astonished.

"Didn't you realize that already when Izumi and everyone saw me like this?"

"Well, sort of. I just didn't want you to change back because Izumi found you as a ghost!" The two sighed, frustrated. Homeless, weary, and probably being hunted by homunculis...what a wonderful life they lead! Danny looked onward, directing their flight. Sam, however, gazed down, watching the land pass by beneath them. She got lost in the lushes greens and rolling pastures, beginning to wonder if she'd ever miss that busy, dirty Amity. What the two did miss, however, was Tucker.

"Danny, maybe we should ask one of those farmers for shel-" As Danny listened to Sam, he felt a cold breath escape him, his breath crystallizing before him.

"Not here!" He grunted.

"Don't tell me- a ghost?" Sam asked. Danny merely shook his head in annoyance, the two beginning to cautiously descend into the hidden shelter of a forest below.

* * *

Landing, Danny balanced Sam on the ground, letting her go. Hovering beside her, he looked around. Nothing. Only the trees, casting shadows as sunlight filtered through the canopy. Flying around, Danny searched the area, going intangible as he stuck his head through a tree trunk, or cutting through thick brush with a plasma blast.

"Danny, I don't like it here... I feel like I'm beingwatched." Sam looked around, tossing aside some dead roots.

"And would you stop doing that! The bushes never did anything to you!" Danny turned, stopping the plasma blast.

"I'm trying to find a ghost, here! So the brush- it's gotta go." Hearing a rustle, the two went silent, eyes gazing around. Another, more lively rustle gave the location. Squinting, Danny slowly went up to the branch.

"CRRAAWWW!" A green plasma ray quickly blasted from Danny's hand. With a 'thump', the cause for the rustling fell to the ground, smoking.

"Danny! You shot a poor bird!" Sam cried, rushing over to the twitching chickadee. Scratching his neck, Danny forced a laugh.

"Sorry." He muttered, the roiling black mist solidifying, becoming his legs once more.

"It's okay. I won't let the mean old ghost hurt you anymore." Sam spoke to the bird as if mocking it for being mentally retarded, petting it gently. Danny shook his head, smacking his forehead in a mixture of pity and...well, a strange fear. As Sam continued to coddle the shocked fowl, Danny's breath crystallized before him once more. Turning abruptly, he jumped slightly, hovering easily above the ground a few inches. Glancing back at Sam, he swiftly flew away. Observing either side of him as he quickly made his way through the trees, Danny still couldn't find a ghost anywhere.

"Show yourself!" He shouted to the forest. A groan replied. Making a sharp turn, Danny accelerated, hoping he had heard the groan from this direction.

"Aha!" Danny caught the sight of a figure turning around a tree. Ivory hair flailing with his speed, he finally located the culprit. Before him lay Vlad, bruised and unconscious, though he seemed to be rousing. Holding Vlad's collar tightly in his hand was a short blonde kid, probably about Danny's age. Whether the boy was a ghost, or Vlad had set off his ghost sense, Danny didn't care.

"Let him go, kid!" Danny spoke, hovering above the boy, attempting to look intimidating. Smirking, the boy ran quickly opposite to Danny, easily carrying the dead weight of Vlad in his right arm. Frowning, Danny sped forward, hands held before him.

"Stop!" Danny shouted, watching the boy as he turned.

**WHAM!**

"Oh–oww..." Danny sighed, rubbing his head. Glaring at the trunk of the tree, he turned, flying after the boy. It seemed like an endless maze of nature, Danny turning at every opportunity, following the shadows and glimpses of Vlad's dragging body.

---

"I'm tired of this!" Danny sighed, becoming intangible. Flying up into the clear afternoon sky, he willed himself visible once more. Blocking the sunlight with his hand, Danny gazed atthe surrounding area. Through all the clearings of the forest and shadows given off, Danny could not find Vlad or the boy. Flying over the treetops, Danny looked down at Sam, the bird perched on her shoulder, dazed.

"Sam!" Looking up, she saw Danny's face.

"What happened to you?" She asked, noticing the trickle of blood coming down his nose and twigs stuck in his wild white hair.

"Never mind! I found a short boy, and he had Vlad with him."

"Was he a ghost too?"

"I don't know, but he was _definitely_ annoying." Danny grunted.

"Fine. I'll go this way, and you go that way. They can't have gotten very far." Nodding, Danny flew off, scanning the canopy for this mysterious boy and Vlad.

"I'm trying to save my arch enemy...this is _so_ messed up." Danny shivered, but continued his search. Undaunted by the now setting sun, he feverishly looked through each opening in the canopy. Wiping sweat from his forehead, he wondered how Sam's search was going. Beginning to locate Sam, he heard a strange metallic sound, like footsteps. Becoming unseen to the human eye, he flew higher.

* * *

"Brother...why don't we go back to Central? I'm sure the Colonel can help us." A large, armored figure spoke.

"I told you, Al...there will be too many questions. Besides, we're better on our own, right?" A short, blonde boy replied to the massive one in the armor suit.

"Found him." Danny grinned to himself, appearing once more.

"HEY, SHORTY!" Danny dived down to the blonde boy, fists clenched and out.

---

Ed looked up, hell portrayed in his eyes.

"SHORT!" He screamed, turning. When he couldn't find the bastard who spoke, he heard Al gasp.

"Brother, look!" Eyes glaring upwards, Ed lost his rage for a moment, replaced by astonishment. This was quickly replaced with anger once more.

"**I AM NOT SHORT! YOU CALL ME SHRIMP? SHORT-STUFF? MIDGET?"** As the white haired..._thing_...plummeted down, Ed clapped his hands. An odd echo resonated in the quiet wilderness, and bolts of blue flew everywhere. Holding out his hand, the ground formed upward into an intricate harpoon. Just as the..boy (?)...came down, Ed held out the handle, blocking him. The boy put up his arms defensively, and disappeared.

"What the hell?" Ed spoke, looking around. The white haired boy was no where in sight.

"SHOW YOURSELF, YOU FLYING BASTARD!" He screamed, hunched over and ready to attack.

"I don't like this." Al spoke, bending the armor's knees, holding up his hands defensively, ready to attack.

"Boo!" The boy emerged from the ground, punching Ed in the jaw. Hovering before them, he watched as Ed fell to the ground.

"Where's Vlad?" He spoke. Ed quickly getting up, he gripped the harpoon tighter. His teeth seemed to become fangs, and his face unleashed a rage more fearsome than Satan himself.

"I DON'T KNOW ANY VLAD!" Ed shouted, bringing the harpoon down on the boy. As the weapon came down, the boy snickered. However, Ed was the one who laughed when he fell to the ground. Lifting his head, the boyspit out dirt.

"Of course you do! I saw you dragging him in the forest!" Pointing the spearhead at the boy's neck, Ed placed his leg atopthe boy'sback in a victory stance.

"Drag this 'Vlad' out of the forest? I was just passing through!"

"_Sure _you were, but I saw you." The boy growled. With that, he seemed to fall into the earth. Stumbling as his footing was now gone, Ed looked around.

"Where are you!" Ed hissed. Approaching Ed, Al put his hand onhis brother'sshoulder.

"I think this might all be a misunderstanding...a really _weird_ misunderstanding, but still..." Al stated, looking down to Ed. Beginning to calm, Ed placed the harpoon upright, the base upon the ground. He breathed slowly, then looked around.  
A green ray of light seemed to come out of no where, knocking the harpoon from his hand. Growling, Ed turned, seeing the boy hover before him. Smirking, Ed clapped his hands. The boy quirked an eyebrow at this, as though he recognized this before, but presently could not remember. Swiftly placing his white gloved hands to the earth, blue sparks blinded anyone's vision. The earth flew at Danny in small strands, wrapping around his limbs, chaining him in mid-air. Struggling, the boy's face was distorted, as though attempting to will the earthen chains away.

"Now..." Ed spoke, standing straight.

"What _are_ you, and what do you want?" The boy continued to struggle, although his facial expression had gone from frustration to pain.

"Stop!" Ed, Al, and the boy turned at the sound of a voice down the path.

"Is that...is that Teacher?" Al asked aloud in astonishment, seeing the usual black slacks and long button down white shirt. Ed squinted harder, taking a few steps forward to examine the figure coming closer.

"Stop!" The voice was clearer now, and youthful.

"That's not Teacher." Ed stated, curious now. A young woman stopped, panting before them. Her hair was black as midnight, and cut short. Clad in Izumi's clothes and odd, menacing black boots, the young woman stood, looking to the boy.

"Danny, he's not the one! I came to tell you I saw that boy and Vlad! They were going the other way!" The boy, now revealed having the name 'Danny', looked down to the girl, then to Ed. Laughing nervously, he stopped struggling.

"Uh...I, uh...haha...well, this is akward, isn't it?"Ed and Al exchanged glances of confusion and intrigue, then turning back to Danny. Clapping his hands,Ed placed them on the ground, blue sparks transmuting the flailing earthen chains back into its solidified state.

"WOA!" Danny fell to the ground, bouncing painfully on the ground, havingreturned to its normal state. Rubbing his aching head, the young woman winced, as though feeling his pain. Smirking, Ed went up to Danny, crouching down and holding out his hand.

"I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

* * *

Author's Note: I'm betting many of you are excited that Edward and Alphonse have finally come into play. This was fun, but difficult to write...I ended up deleting half of it and re-doing it. Review and critique, pleashe. :) 


	13. Blank Answers

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

Night had fallen around the quaint country side, sunlight giving way to the comforting silver glow of the moon. Those within the shadows came alive, crickets chirping pleasantly, greeting the shimmering crystals above in the sky. Clouds were scarcely found, displaying the vastness of the blackened sky. Out of the forest came the orange glow of man, a flickering flame illuminating four figures surrounding a fire. However, man's glow was surrounded by beings lesser known to be man.

To one side of the pit sat Samantha Manson, seeming quite content in her dark, mysterious surroundings. Beside her sat Daniel Fenton, or, to his town of Amity, Danny 'Phantom'. On the opposite side sat the renowned Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, his brother Alphonse sitting beside him, his presence only known by the suit of armor for which his soul was attached.

An awkward silence hovered above them, eyes seeming to take turns to gaze at the other. Danny grumbled often, picking scraps of branches and leaves from his ivory hair. The once new black collared shirt and denim jeans he wore now displayed a worn look, as though an outfit he had decided to use for wrestling. Al occasionally sighed, annoyed at his brother's stubbornness to communicate, having had the difficult task of convincing him to let the others stay with them...the compromise was, it was only for one night.

"So...uh...Alphonse, right? Where'd ya get that heavy armor?" Sam asked, attempting to break the silence. Ed stopped prodding the fire, hair falling before his amber eyes. Al fidgeted nervously, making the notion to scratch his neck.

"Uh...well, I got it...at my house...yeah, it's an heirloom." Sam raised an eyebrow at his antics, but was distracted when Danny nudged her.

"Sam, we shouldn't be here!" He hissed under his breath. Ed resumed prodding the fire.

"What do you mean, Danny? We have no idea how to get around!"

"'Scuse me." Danny feigned a broad smile to Ed and Al, darting into the forest, dragging Sam behind him.

---

"What is it with you?" Sam complained. Taking her hand from Danny's grasp, he turned, looking into her amethyst eyes.

"I wanted to know where he got that armor! It's so cool!" Danny smacked his head, ignoring the giddy school girl joy Sam got from menacing armor.

"He's a ghost!" Sam stopped daydreaming how she would look in a suit of armor like that, turning to Danny.

"What?"

"That...Al kid! He's a ghost!"

"So?" Sam put her hand on her hip, looking sternly at Danny.

"So? So everything! He could attack us! He might have shape-shifted and stolen Vlad!"

"Danny..." Sam sighed, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Not all ghosts are bad. Take you for example. Well, maybe not right now, seeing as you attacked the wrong person tonight..."

"Don't remind me."

"...anyways, the point is, they're helping us!"

"But...that Ed guy! He can do the same thing as Izumi!"

"Izumi!" Danny and Sam turned, seeing both Ed and Al crash to the ground from their hiding place behind a tree.

* * *

Danny and Sam looked down at them in astonishment, a bit too shocked to be angry at their eavesdropping.

"How long were you there?" Sam inquired.

"Long enough. You know Izumi?" Ed got up, brushing dirt from his red coat.

"Yeah, why?" Danny replied.

"Izumi was our Teacher." Al replied, fixing his loin cloth.

" '_Was'_? " Danny asked.

"She just isn't anymore, okay? But...how do you know her? Is she okay?" Ed asked, concern and curiosity in his eyes. The last time he had seen her, she had been fairly ill and with no one to give her more herbs since Dante's murder.

"She took care of us for a few days, but...some military men came the other day and-"

"Military!" Ed and Al exclaimed at the same time, looking to one another. Running back to their camp, they doused the fire, going into a frantic frenzy.

"Running from the government?" Danny laughed. Ed got up, smirking.

"You are, too, right? That's why you left Izumi."

"Not running! Dude, he had crazy stuff popping all over the ground, and no shirt on!"

"Armstrong." Ed and Al both stated with ease afterwards, Ed picking up one thin suitcase.

"You know them?" Sam asked. Edward and Al gaped at her.

"Hello! I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist! Haven't you heard of me?" Danny and Sam shook their heads. Ed sighed, reaching into his pocket. Pulling it out, he revealed an elaborate silver pocket watch, a noble lion in scripted on the front.

"What? A watch?" Danny asked.

"Not just a watch! This is my symbol for being a State Alchemist!" Danny and Sam merely looked at the pocket watch, nodding their heads though they did not understand. Shoving the pocket watch into his pocket, Ed looked to Danny.

"What about you? Flying everywhere, and attacking me!"

"I told you, it was a mistake! I thought I saw you carrying someone I know!"

"That's not the point! What are you?" Ed looked at Danny, searching any exposed skin.

"Me? What about your 'brother'?" Ed looked back at Al, then turning to Danny.

"What about him?"

"He's a ghost!" Sam smacked her head, leaning back on the tree. Of all battles, between Skulker, Ember, the Lunch Lady, Johnny Thirteen, and all other ghosts, she somehow dreaded the imminent battle before her more.

"A ghost!" The brothers shrieked, then breaking out into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Danny asked. Sam sighed, sinking to the ground.

"There's no such thing as ghosts!" Ed exclaimed, wiping a tear of laughter from his eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Danny smirked, his eyes glowing a fierce green. Disappearing from sight, he flew into Ed, attempting to overshadow him. Ed fell to his knees, clutching his head. He began to shake violently.

"What...the...hell!" He hissed.

"Brother?" Al asked, concerned, going towards him.

"What are you doing to Brother!" Al shrieked, stepping forward. Sam, however, intervened, stepping between Al and Ed.

"Danny, stop it!" Ed's left arm flailed violently, and he stood up, walking straight into a tree.

"What's he doing!" Al asked, extremely concerned.

"Don't worry. Danny won't hurt him..." Sam walked up to Ed, he continuing his violent spasms. Sam looked straight into his eyes, they losing their amber glow.

"Danny!" She hissed, voice chilling and frightening.

**"GET OUT OF ED...NOW!"** Edward's eyes glowed a bright green, and he ceased his convulsions.

"Brother...?" Ed turned to Al, beginning to dance around like a monkey.

"Look at me! I'm the human shrimp, and boy, am I ever small!" Al backed away, immediately knowing something was terribly wrong.

"DANNY!" Sam spoke. Ed's chest was thrust out, and Danny's opaque form flew out, slamming into a tree before solidifying as he fell to the ground. Blinking, Ed clutched his head, amber eyes confused.

"What...did you...do?" He asked. Danny shook his head, standing up weakly.

"He overshadowed you...or possessed you, whichever word comes to mind." Sam spoke plainly, lavender eyes glaring at Danny with the coldness of the Arctic. At this, Al looked at his brother, Ed dumbfounded and confused. Al himself was rather out-of-sorts.

"P-possessed?" Al asked, backing away from Danny as he rose from the ground, clutching his head.

"Keep your armor on, jeez." Danny muttered, looking to Sam. Her eyes glared at him, and Danny felt as though he would have preferred to be stabbed than endure her menacing glare.

"Never do that again. NEVER!" Ed yelled to Danny, closing his fists. He shook with rage, and had the urge to knock him unconscious, but held himself back. Sam passed Ed, approaching Danny. The two looked to one another for a long time, before Sam broke the silence.

"Danny- they can help us!"

"No they can't, Sam." Danny sighed, putting his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off in dismay. As Danny and Sam began to argue again, Al silently approached his brother, looking to him.

"Brother, what's going on?" Ed did not look to the suit that contained the soul of Alphonse, but just stood, withdrawing his hand from its place on his head. For a moment, his expression changed, though it hardened afterwards. He smirked.

"Al...I think ghosts do exist."

* * *

Author's Notes: How difficult should one chapter be? My goodness...I get so worked up to keep them in character. :P Appreciates reviews. 


	14. But A Simple Luring

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Al silently stalked over beside the strange girl named Sam, who seemed drastically disturbed. Well, irritated beyond belief would be the better track to go on. The four no longer sat in silence by the fire, but now, walked in awkward silence. An hour had passed now, and still, not a word had been exchanged between the four. Edward stalked up front, grip deathly tight around the suitcase, often muttering inaudible curses, daydreams of how to exact revenge on Danny flitting through his mind. 

Above the four, an opaque being, flew, Danny's arms crossed, illuminated green eyes only looking forward to the moonlit skies, often huffing in annoyance, flicking his head back every once in a while to rid his eyes of a fallen strand of white hair. If Edward could have heard his incessant rambling, he would have probably vowed to kill him at this point. It was but Al and Sam that walked side by side. It was her that Edward and Danny both glanced at occasionally.

"I'm fine." Sam hissed to Alphonse, gaze remaining in front of her, though her amethyst eyes occasionally shot Danny a vile glare. Coincidentally, he seemed to fly higher with each gaze he felt on him. Al, however, was not convinced. Still, Sam scared her. He got the vibe that she was just as vicious and individual as Winry. Looking up, he breathed in astonishment as he watched Danny.

Looking down, Danny quirked an eyebrow at Al.

"Eep." The light in his eyes becoming bright with embarrassment, the armor tensed, and Al's gate became stiff. Danny just shook his head, grunting, and flew higher into the night sky, darkness hiding his form. Sam turned to Al, lightening up a bit. Al looked to her, scratching the back of his neck.

"I, uh...heh...but, how can he...?"

"We told you - he's a ghost. Ghosts can fly, right?" Sam muttered, arms now hanging loosely by her side.

"How can he be a ghost? But..." Al paled, "Are you a ghost, too!" He shrieked, attracting a glance from his older brother, but no real interest in his eyes. Sam just laughed, nearly falling over in a fit of giggles.

"Me? A ghost? Yeah, right." Wiping a tear from her eye, she stood straighter, clearing her throat. She looked to Danny.

"You know, I've never told anyone...about Danny, that is. I mean, I just met you, and here we go, blowing his cover."

"Why would a ghost need a cover?" Al asked, deeply interested. Mentally, he sighed. Why did his brother have to be such a stubborn ass? But, still...he would have horrible memory flashes of Ed being possessed by Danny. Or overshadowed. Whatever. It was still horrifying.

"Back at home...people don't like him very much, and...if people knew who he was..."

"Before he died?"

"Huh?" Sam gave Al strange look, though he remained calm.

_What did he mean about that? Danny neva died..._ It was then Sam realized, once more, they were in another world. They had passed through the Gate. Ghosts might be something different here. In Amity, they weren't the disembodied souls of the dead. Ghosts had been a term for ecto-plasmic creatures, or the remains of a deceased person in the form of a plasma image. Such as Desaray, the Genie, or the Dairy King in Wisconsin.

"Oh, uh...well, its kinda like that." Sam answered, chuckling nervously. What was she getting herself into? Looking to Danny for strength, she decided to change subject.

"What about you? Danny said you're a ghost, so did you die?" This time, Al tensed. What had _he_ gotten himself into? He really did not know how to answer this question. He hadn't died...but he wasn't alive. He had a soul, but it was attached to the bulky armor that stated his presence.

"Well, uh...no..." Al chuckled in a habit to try and calm himself down, and he prayed the topic would be forgotten.

"Tryin' to decide if you're dead or not?" Sam smirked, silently wondering how much longer they were going to walk on the pathway. Not only did she have no idea where they were going, it was at night, and she was exhausted. Since Ed and Al realized the military were not far behind, they refused to stop until they got as far away from Dublith as possible, whether Danny and Sam had last spotted them.

"No! No...I'm...alive...I mean, I can't possess people or fly or somethin' like that."

"Then why do you wear an armor suit all the time?" Sam whined. The intimidating, gothic style armor was...awesome! Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. How she wanted to try it on!

"It's a...hobby..." Al spoke, beginning to walk a bit faster. Ahead of them, Ed stopped dead in his tracks, his silhouette frozen against a moonlit scene. Curious, Al and Sam exchanged glances, the two sprinting ahead to see exactly what was the matter. As Sam was about to reach the tip of the crest of the path, Danny dove down from the heavens, roiling black matter becoming his legs once more, holding Sam back. His face was paler than usual.

"Don't look, Sam!" He spoke, but her anger at his actions previously willed her to ignore him, shrugging his cold hands from her shoulder. Stalking off, she stood between Ed and Al, and suddenly, her mouth was agape.

* * *

Before them was the charred remains of a small, agricultural village, homes and structures no longer where they once stood. Smothered to the earth by flames, among their skeletons lay scorched bodies, sprawled unnaturally into disarray. 

"Oh my god." Sam breathed, feeling tears well into her eyes. She wanted to cry, but held back the tears. Sam would never cry, but this was different. She could see the ashes of homes, and the bodies of people, infants even. This was not just a natural forest fire. The small town was decimated. Not one was left among the living.

"Brother...?" Al croaked, examining the village in disgust. Ed hung his head low, golden locks hiding his eyes. He shook with rage, white gloved hands clenched and trembling in anger. He recognized the large transmutation circle. From their perspective, they could see the grooves in the dirt roads. An experiment. Whether wrong or right, it depended on what sick alchemist had tried.

Sam felt Danny's hand on her shoulder, his green eyes focused solely on her. She did not repent his consolation. Who could have done this? When she heard movement, she looked up, watched as Ed walked down the path to the decimated village. She did not try to follow. Of all the movies she had watched, be it Zombies, Psycho Serial Killers, or Vampires, nothing had prepared her for the sight or scent before her now.

Ed slid down the steep end of the path, stumbling slightly as he reached its base. The path snaked in numerous directions, once guiding family to their houses. It was now just a pathway to the graves of the dead. Holding his breath, Ed ignored the scent of charred flesh, and walked along the transmutation circle. It was still fresh. Amber eyes avoiding the sight of the curled, black heap of an infant's corpse, he continued on, noticing some embers on the fallen debris of homes. The village had burned not hours ago.

"Haven't you nosed around in our business long enough, Fullmetal?" Darting to the side, Edward narrowed his amber eyes, Lust appearing from the shadows, slender arms crossed about her breast. A smirk played across her face, livid eyes filled with amusement.

"You did this?" Ed hissed, barely able to stand the smell. Lust extended her index blade, scratching at the soft earth. It matched the same etched markings as the human transmutation circle in the ground.

"What use is that to you? You can't use alchemy."

"DANNY!" Sam's cry pierced the air, and the faint illumination of blue sparks lit the night sky. Edward wheeled around, eyes wide. Wrath was here. He began to run back, back to those strange two, but innocent, people and his brother, but Lust swiftly leapt over him, landing cat-like before him, blocking his way. Skidding to a halt, Ed wasted no time, and clapped his hands together. Extending his left arm over his right, the metal transmuted into a blade, and he lashed at Lust.

Counter-attacking his blade, Lust blocked it with her clawed blades, and lunged at his chest, ring finger targeted. Dodging the attack, Ed yelled, slashing the blade across Lust's stomach. Her eyes widened, and she fell, blood seeping from her mouth. Standing his ground, Ed narrowed his eyes at her. Lust coughed, but then her rose lips twisted into a smile.

"Thank you for bringing us the Ghost boy. You really are a great help." Ed bolted off towards the crest of the hill, behind him, Lust already recuperating from the nearly fatal blow.

* * *

"Let-me-go!" Danny squirmed, the savage eyes of Wrath clearly amused, baring a feral smirk, untamed black hair going whichever way it desired. His arm, or Ed's, really, was wrapped around Danny firmly with an elasticity to it. Picking up a rock in his other hand, he slammed it on his unnaturally stretched arm, and transmuted the hard stone to it, making it a much harder substance. 

"Let him go, Wrath!" Al spoke, assuming a fighting stance. He knew he was Izumi's child, but he wouldn't let him hurt anyone. Even a ghost. As Al spoke, Sam rushed over to Wrath, not heeding of Al's knowledge of who this homunculis was. Wrath merely smirked, tightening his small fist into a formidable weapon. This time, Danny smirked.

Phasing through the hold, Danny flew up, swiftly coming down, leg extended. In one moment, Wrath saw this, his expression shocked. With a loud 'thud', Wrath fell to the ground, skidding in the dry earth. Danny landed, brushing himself off. Wrath would not give up the fight so easily. Flipping into the air, he landed on his feet, and extended his right hand.

"Why don't you just stay still, Ghost boy? I need to make Mommy proud." Blue sparks flew around him, and the ground reared up, producing an elaborate, steel spear. The alchemic energy dissipating, Wrath grasped the spear.

"HYEA!" He shouted, charging at Danny at an inhuman speed. Flicking his head back, Danny sighed. Opening his palm, ecto-plasm began to form, and as Wrath lifted the spear to strike Danny down, the green ray shot out, making Wrath spiral out of control and be hauled backwards quite a few yards.

"What kind of Mommy do you have?" Danny spoke, jumping into the air. His legs disappeared, becoming a roiling black mist as he floated sternly before him. The boy smirked, scrambling to his feet. Al cringed at the irony in Danny's statement.

"What do you want with them, Wrath?" The three turned, watching as Ed stopped beside Danny, glaring at the vicious, wild boy. Sam and Danny exchanged glances. Those two knew that homunculis? Wrath just cackled, assuming a charging stance.

"None of your business!" Beating his legs on the ground, his was sprinting towards the foursome, gritting his teeth. Danny sighed, opening his palm to shoot an ecto-plasmic ray from it again. As the green ray erupted, Wrath suddenly flipped over it, laughing. As his fell, he raised the sharp spear above his head, below him: Sam.

"Sam!" Danny shouted, realizing she was in danger as only feet separated her from the boy. Flying towards her, he opened his arms.

_Faster, Danny, faster! _He screamed at himself, but knew he was not fast enough. Sam held her hands up to her face, shutting her amethyst eyes, frozen in fear. The spear was a foot. Seven inches. Three inches.

---

**CLANG.** Danny grabbed Sam, and the two hurtled out of the way. Glancing over Danny's shoulder, she watched as Wrath leapt back, Ed's metal arm blade blocking the attack. Beads of sweat fell down Ed's face, and he assumed a fighting stance, a wry grin on his face at Wrath's dissatisfaction.

_His arm...its...not real!_ Sam marveled, suddenly finding herself being steadied on the ground, Danny's hands on her shoulders. Behind them, Ed and Wrath charged at one another, one equipped with his limb blade, the other, a spear. The two met equally, digging their heels into the ground as sparks flew from their encounter.

"Sam! Are you alright?" Danny asked, desperately afraid for her. Sam blushed at the attention she was receiving, and all previous anger at him melted away.

"I'm fine."

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO GET IN THE WAY!" Wrath shrieked, hurling the spear at Ed. As he bent his knees to dodge it, Danny noticed Wrath transmuting the ground, making something that was not good.

"ED!" He yelled, and two plasma blasts hurtled from both his fists, the first knocking the spear from its intended target, the other catching an unsuspecting Wrath, breaking his concentration. The blue alchemic sparks died away, and the quick sand pits beside Ed dissipated. Edward himself raised an eyebrow, amber eyes turning to Danny as he floated beside him, fists raised, his green eyes glued to Wrath.

"Uh...thanks...?" He spoke, but the their expressions became distorted with surprise as a wave of earth hurled Ed into the air, the other wave reaching a height to knock Danny into the sky. Ed flailed his arms uselessly in the air, trying to flap his arms into wings. He panted, beginning to plummet back to earth.

As Wrath hurled his arm in a sharp, arrow-tipped fist, Al tackled him to the ground, piercing armor body tossing him into the thick trunk of a tree. Danny placed his arms by his side, speed increasing ten-fold. Grabbing Ed from under the arms, he spiraled back to the ground as Al tossed a punch at Wrath, dodging the child's kick, he in turn leaping away from Al's round house kick, successfully kicking Al back.

"Drop me over Wrath!" Ed shouted, looking up to Danny. He nodded, and corrected their flight pattern.

"Bombs away!" Danny shouted, dropping Ed. Diving forward, he extended his arm blade, and narrowed his eyes, the air irritating them, tears forming in his eyes. Plunging forward, Wrath looked up, seeing Ed seconds away from him.

A sickening tear of flesh sound pierced the air, and dirt kicked up around Ed and Wrath. Sam and Al shielded their view from the plume of dirt, and Danny floated above them all, hands whirring with plasmic energy.

The cloud clear, displaying Ed's arm impaling Wrath's chest cavity. The homunculis spluttered, a drip of blood rolling down the side of his mouth. Danny willed the plasmic energy to die down, and he landed on the ground with the use of his legs as Ed withdrew his arm, blue sparks arching across it as the blade slid back into his original metal limb.

Wrath fell to the ground, body shivering as it went into shock.

"We'd better get outta here." Ed muttered, turning away from Wrath as he died. The three watched as Sam rushed over to Wrath's motionless body, and began incessantly kicking his head in.

"Friggin' ass! Don't-you-EVER-do-that-again!" She screamed. As she turned, she smoothed out the long white shirt, cleared her throat, and smiled cheekily to three dumb struck boys. Suddenly a gasp pierced the air, and Wrath sat up, dazed, flesh replenishing around the impalement. Ed and Danny scowled, lowering themselves into a fighting stance.

Sam suddenly scowled, and kicked him hard in the face. Wrath flopped to the ground, head aching. Sam repeated the process, but her kicks moved along his body, finding more painful places to inflict damage. When she was finished, Wrath was motionless again, and blood speckled her black, menacing boots.

"You were saying?" Sam asked Ed, but he paled as he addressed her. Grabbing Danny, he shielded himself from her. Danny pulled the collar to the black shirt he wore, gulping. Sam crossed her arms, annoyed.

"Boys." She muttered, turning around as she began to make her way through the forest. Ed and Danny exchanged glances, Ed smiling sheepishly as Danny scowled at him for using him as a living shield.

"She's..."

"Scary? Frightening? Outspoken? Yeah, I know, I deal with it on a daily basis." Danny laughed, beginning to follow Sam into the forest. Ed and Al shrugged, Ed picking up his suitcase, and the four entered the forest. They would not look at the sight of the village again. Their smiles were to hide that memory, the sight that seared itself mentally onto them.

* * *

Wrath gulped for air, body twitching as his heart began to beat once more, reviving from death for the second time today. Standing up shakily, he looked about, dazed. Limping, he made his way down the path to the village. By the time he slid down the steep end of the path to the village of the dead, he stood strong, health perfected. He scowled.

"Lust!" He screamed, stomping down the village streets in a form of a child's tantrum. Glancing around, he found her.

"Why didn't you help me get the Ghost Boy! Master won't make us human if we fail her again!" Lust did not move, lavender eyes frozen, body paralyzed. Her voice was broken, and Wrath could not make out what was said. Around her extended blades was a silver and sapphire locket, the chain wound around her middle finger.

"Who is this 'Ghost Boy'?" Emerging from the forest came a large, intimidating Ishvarlan, red eyes piercing the form of Wrath. A large, white scar was visible on his face, he himself dressed in the traditional wear of his people. The peculiar image was the black, elaborate markings down his right arm.

_...End Chapter..._


	15. Conforming Alliance

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind. But, I'd love to own and coddle both.

* * *

Rays of golden sunlight beamed through the forest canopy, casting shadows upon the four...or three...sleeping forms below. Exhaustion had gotten the best of them, and quickly fell asleep on the hard earth. Curled up in a heap was Edward Elric, using his own briefcase as a pillow. Opposite of his resting form was Danny Phantom, no longer associated as Danny Fenton. The head of Sam Manson rested on his shoulder, now beginning to rouse slightly as her most hated enemy - light - lay right in her closed eyes. 

In the center of the small forest grounds they had stopped in was an array, the center of it producing a small fire. Alphonse Elric, presence signified by the suit of armor attached to his soul, having been the one to draw the array and alchemically produce the fire, not truly needing sleep in the physical sense at all. He was leaning against a tree, head held low, distant in thought and resting his mind.

The four were not only running from the military, but now avoiding artificial humans: homunculi. Their intentions were hidden, and they did not know what they wanted of them. Or, Danny, really. In fact, it was their fault entirely that the Elrics had even met Phantom or Manson.

Amethyst eyes flickering open, Sam hissed cat-like to the sunshine, ducking her head back into the safety of the shadows of the trees. Too late. The sunlight had already woken her, and her mind insisted she did not fall asleep again. She blatantly ignored the fact her head was resting on Danny's shoulder, rather glad no one else was awake to see.

Grumbling, she stood up, still feeling rather strange wearing white. The last time she had done so, she was...hmm, four years old? A grin spreading on her face at the thought, she examined their surroundings, or, lack thereof. It was all but trees, the horizon disappearing into more groves and thick, dark bark, the scene only distorted by the morning sun that wafted down through the canopy.

_Danny should be having his re-test today...and...oh, crap, the 'Animals Have Feelings, Too' rally was today! Dammit!_ Sam gritted her teeth, punching the air. The incident with the Lunch Lady had only deepened her passion for being a vegetarian, and she was heading the opening speech for the rally! If there was one thing she did get from her parents, it was the knack to make others see your point. Sam wondered if her and Danny's picture was on the back of milk cartons with 'Missing' on them yet.

"Oh. You're awake." Sam froze, turning around to see Al lifting his head, looking to her. She laughed nervously at herself, mentally cursing for doing the ridiculous beating-something-invisible dance.

"Uh, yeah. Stupid sun got me up." Glaring at the sunlight, Sam shook her fist at it, and heard Al chuckle. Smiling, she leaned against the base of a tree, crossing her bare arms over her chest as she looked to Alphonse.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"Then how can you fit in that suit?" Sam marveled, picturing a much older boy would have to fit in something like that. Sure, she couldn't, but Sam would always try. Al sighed, and shifted a little.

"Let's just say I...fit a bit better than most people would believe." Sam nodded. He seemed always to get fidgety when questioning his armor, so for now, she would stop being Miss Interrogator.

"You like him, don't you?" Al suddenly asked, and Sam lost her balance, sliding from her leaning position on the tree, and falling on her back on the ground. Sitting up, she rubbed her head.

"Ooouuu, oww...why...haha, why would you say that?" Sam stuttered, sitting beside Alphonse now, grumbling at her fall.

"I dunno. I just..I can see it." Al laughed at how absurd he sounded, but did not hear Sam join in his laughter. Turning, he saw her deeply examining Danny in his sleep, her eyes reading complete immersion in thought. Her short, black hair was a bit wild, but it was managed well enough. The long, white sleeveless button down shirt from Izumi now sported some stains, but it flattered her form nicely, as well as the black pants. But the boots...didn't go at all.

"I am SO not short..." Al and Sam's attention snapped to Ed as he stirred in his sleep, bashing at the ground, finally resting in a different position. The two giggled, and finally Al got up.

"I'd better go get some food." Sam shot up. It was her time to shine. If she couldn't go to the 'Animals Have Feelings, Too' rally, she'd still get her message across!

"I vote for some berries and fruits." Al just shrugged at Sam's enthusiastic suggestion, but knew his meat-loving brother would not approve of the light breakfast. Still, the two left into the tree groves, Al marking their path as they went.

* * *

Danny stirred, feeling a nudge on his arm. Closing his eyes tighter, he shifted, unconsciously blowing a strand of pure white hair from his face. Another nudge. He swatted at the air, whining, muttering something about 'an extra five minutes, Jazz'. _Poke_. 

Sitting up straight, eyes open, he glared, noticing Edward stumbling back from him, but quickly regaining his balance. Rubbing the sleep from his green eyes, Danny yawned.

"What?" He groaned, quite content with the sleep he had been receiving. At least, until Ed decided to go on an investigative poking spree.

"Nothing." Edward whined as an excuse, quickly pushing aside the matter to look around the camp, his brother nor Sam anywhere to be found. He scratched the back of his neck, but his previous thoughts would not go away.

_I can't deny it...he's a ghost...but, where did he and Sam come from? How does he fly? And why can I touch him only some of the time? But...most of all, what do those homunculi want with him? They seemed to have met already..._ Ed mused on all these thoughts, instinct yearning for answers. His natural curiosity was often his downfall, but it was impulsive. And not his curiosity was getting the best of him, wondering where Al and Sam had gone off to.

Sighing, he put his fists on his hips, and turned back to Danny, who was, by now, sitting up straight, legs crossed. Before he could begin to quench his curiosity, Danny spoke up.

"What were you pokin' me for?" Ed laughed nervously, but it spiraled down to an ashamed sigh.

"Why is it that I can touch you sometimes? But...ghosts aren't even supposed to exist!" Ed threw his hands up into the air, peering through the canopy to the azure morning sky. The past day had turned his knowledge upside-down, inside-out, and screwed around with everything he once believed. Danny just laughed.

"Well, it's called being 'intangible'. I can make myself go through solid objects." Ed turned, nodding slightly. He was getting answers, but ones just around the edge. He could barely decipher what was being said now. Stopping his fidgeting, he collapsed to the ground.

"Still...what really troubles me is that those homuncli want you...well, I'd presume you, seeing as they were raving about a 'Ghost Boy'. There aren't any others like you, are there?" Ed asked, chuckling slightly, and hopeful. Danny just shook his head, but suddenly remembered something.

"Wait - there is one. His name is Plasmius, and...I think they already have him..." For the first time since their fateful encounter in Wisconsin when the two discovered one another's secrets, Danny actually was worried for Vlad's well being.

"They already have him?" Ed asked, knowing this could not be good news. For a few minutes, the two sat there in silence. Ed was trying to piece together everything, though it seemed with every growing thought, more problems posed themself to him.

_What would the homuncli want with Ghosts...as far as I know, they're trying to create another Philosopher's Stone, but that would need a massive amount of human sacrifices, not Ghost sacrifices..._ Something donned on Ed.

"Danny, you seemed to know who they were. Have you met those homunculi before?"

_Oh, crap!_ Danny thought. If he answered the question correctly, he would be telling Ed he and Sam were from another world, or at least Sam said, and that they had passed through the Gate. He would also be admitting he was the exact one they seemed to be after. And yet...it seemed he had little choice. How else would he and Sam get back to Amity?

"Yeah, actually...they kinda...kidnapped me...and Sam..." Ed's focus was solely on Danny now, his words sparking something in his mind. Ed did not know what the homunculis creating, only knowing it could not be good.

"How?" Ed asked, the word encompassing nearly everything. A play-by-play would be nice. Danny sighed.

_Here we go..._

"Well, the one that turns into other people-"

"Envy."

"...a, yeah, sure. Anyways, she-"

"He."

"Really! I swear it was a damn scary girl...if Envy is compared with Sam, Sam is the perfect angel. Uh...anyway, he turned into me and Sam's best friend, Tucker."

_Name's a bit too ironic to even be funny._ Ed thought, shivering. Because one person he despised bore that name, the name itself was loathsome to him.

"When we were at a bookstore, we didn't know who Lust was, and...wait, Lust_ is_ a 'she', right?" Ed smacked his head, shaking it in disbelief. How aloof was Danny? Danny just gestured the question aside, waving his hands in the air as though to erase the spoken words.

"Okay, okay! Anyway, she attacked me, but me and Tucker...or Envy, really, flew back to my place and we went into my parent's basement. After that, Sam came down and found me, and when we heard Lust coming and tried to get away, Tucker changed back into Envy...but wasn't the real Tucker...and nearly kicked my head in. That's when Envy and Lust started talking, and a fat homunculis-"

"Gluttony."

"Would you stop that!" Danny shrieked, but Ed just smirked, crossing his arms and leaning back against the base of a tree. Sighing, Danny smoothed back his hair, and controlled himself after a few calm breaths.

"If I can go _on_..." Green eyes shot a glare to a pair of amber ones, but they just remained calm ",_Gluttony_ and Wrath came in through the ghost portal, along with-"

"A Ghost _what_?"

---

**"GYEAA!"** Danny attempted to pull his hair out, shouting to the sky. Ed leapt back a bit, sweat beading down his face as he waved his hands in an earnest attempt to push aside the invisible matter of Danny's irritation. Danny's chest heaved, and any minute now, Ed would guess steam would billow from his nose. Even his eyes were glowing fiercer!

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" As Danny calmed himself down, Ed sighed in relief, and smoothed out the maroon sleeves of his jacket. Once Danny had gotten over his irritation of being interrupted, he continued.

"Long story short, they kidnapped us, they lost us, Izumi found us and cleaned us up, those two military men-" Danny paused, waiting in silence for Ed to correct him for something, like whatever their names were. He said nothing, focus on Danny.

"They came, tore up the place, I came back, thought I saw you with Plasmius, attacked you, and the rest is history...I hope..." Danny remembered their not-so-subtle meeting the previous day, but Ed did not heed of it. Instead, he remained deep in thought. Stretching out, Danny slumped against the tree, still a bit drowsy.

_Guess running from an other-worldly military and crazed psycho homunculis really drains ya..._ Turning his attention to muffled voices and some rustling in the distance, Alphonse and Sam appeared before the make-shift camp, both in a much better mood since last night. Carried in their arms were numerous edible berries and herbs, Sam looking rather pleased with herself.

"What? No meat?" Ed whined, scraping through the contents in the arms of his younger brother. Sam scowled.

"Why do we need meat, anyways? It's just cold-hearted murder! That's why me and Al found some wholesome grains and berries." Ed frowned at such words Sam spoke.

"I like meat. Its tasty."

"Your saying a cute, innocent squirrel cut down in its prime is delicious!" Sam shrieked. Al tip-toed over to Danny, he seeming to become pale. Or, rather, paler than usual.

"Time to run?" Al whispered.

"Maybe I am!" Ed stood up, beginning to raise his voice.

"Time to run." Danny frowned, and the two soon bolted away from the camp, Danny flying as fast as he could, swerving between the tall, sturdy trees, Al right at his heels. They attempted to ignore the screams, thumps, and cries behind them.

_So much for a peaceful breakfast..._ Al thought, Danny's mind almost reflecting the same exact thought.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the extreme seperation of chapters before. I'm attempting to stay away from the computer more and focus on more life problems outside of the PC. I hope you liked the last two long-awaited chapters. 


	16. Scars

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

By the time the ivory haired Danny and the intimidating form of medieval armor, Al, made it back through the groves of trees to the place of camp, Edward was sporting some new bruises, and it seemed as though his lip had split in the middle, a slight trickle of blood oozing down his chin. And, to his brother's astonishment, he was wolfing down all the blue hued berries he and Sam had collected, not leaving any for anyone else. 

An even more intimidating picture was the smirk on Sam's face as she glanced at Ed occasionally, slowly nibbling on some bread Al had transmuted from some grass. Apparently, with enough grass, he could transmute the elements of the wild plants into the elemental combination for wheat bread. Danny and Al exchanged a fearful glance, but just sat quietly, and Danny followed Ed's example, beginning to scoff down the pink and yellow fruits, not wanting to end up like Ed, sitting beside him.

"Aren't you gonna eat anything?" Sam asked to Al, voice cheerful. Too cheerful. It seemed Sam found a new perk of being in another world. Spreading her intimidation and forcing her perspective down the throats of other-worldly people! In this case, the importance of being a vegetarian...well, the importance of being vegetarian for Edward was to keep his bones in tact.

Al muttered something in surprise, helmet glancing side to side, as though he was registering the places of exit in case he needed to run. He knew that being nothing but armor meant food was not in his obligation, but Sam and Danny did not exactly know this little fact. So, not wanting to be pummeled by a girl just as, if not more, frightening than Winry, he lifted the crook in his helmet discreetly, dropping in the last of the blue hued berries that Ed had left behind.

After a rather awkward breakfast (though Sam seemed to be enjoying herself thoroughly), Ed began to scratch the side of his neck with his left hand, using his nails to sufficiently subdue the itching.

"Uh...Sam..."

"Yeah, Ed?" She asked cheerily, turning to him. Yelping slightly, he paled, and inched a bit away from her, but pressed on.

"Where did ya learn how to find which fruits and...stuff...were edible?"

"Well, uh...they're identical to ones me and Danny have at...uh...home..." She spoke, getting uneasy, not wishing to give away the rather personal and nearly unbelievable secret from being displayed to the Elrics. Lifting up his head to convert his attention to Sam, Danny sighed. Al noticed both reactions, and perked up, becoming quite interested.

"'S okay, Sam. I told 'em...everything." Sam gaped at Danny, but not in an angry fashion. It seemed more of a stunned fashion, and she felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Until now, she had not realized how difficult not speaking of where exactly she and Danny had come from was. Easing a bit, she continued.

"Everything? Even about the Gate?" Danny smacked his forehead at Sam's words. Suddenly, Ed spit out the last fruit he had been chewing, spewing its juicy flesh onto the ground before him. Al sat up straighter, the light in his eyes wide.

_I had actually gotten around that little bit! _Danny thought exasperatedly, shaking his head side to side. Color flushed into Sam's cheeks, and she giggled nervously.

"Ahaha...whoops." Ed stood up abruptly, and his amber eyes stared down at Danny fiercely, his gaze slowly drifting to Sam, his sight soon encompassing both, expression stern.

"Who are you two, really? And where do you come from? Tell me the truth!" Thoughts of the two being fellow homunculi entered Ed's mind.

_Of course! That would explain why they wanted Danny...and his unnatural abilities...which might as well explain Sam's unique way of...uh, telling her side of the story..._ Ed thought, and Al suddenly got up, stunned by this news, not knowing how to react. He had already befriended the girl, Sam, and thought well enough of Danny, but now, his thoughts were whirring. He and his brother had already been betrayed and lied to enough.

"Woa, woa, woa!" Danny insisted, levitating to his feet. Though, by now, such actions were considered normal to the Elrics, they were a bit jumpy as Danny did so. Sam followed suit, scrambling to her feet, amethyst eyes pleading.

"I swear, we're not here to do anything! Please, listen to us!" Sam pleaded, eyes peering into Ed's, then turning to Al.

"Please, I promise, we can explain everything." Turning from Sam's pleas, Ed narrowed his eyes at Danny, piercing his own green ones. There was a moment of silence, the air filled with tension.

"You lied."

"No, let me correct that statement: I conveniently left _out_ some information." Danny spoke matter-of-factly, gesturing his hands as he spoke the word 'out'. Unfortunately, neither Elrics found this amusing or informative. So, Danny sighed, hanging his head low. Once composing himself, he stood back up, ready to stare back at Ed in his long, maroon jacket, the caduceus depicted on the back.

"Listen, what I told you earlier was the truth, but...they kidnapped us by throwin' us into the Gate, and the next thing we know, we're wakin' up in Izumi's house. I swear, everything is true." Danny attempted reassuring Ed, but he did not seem so satisfied this time. Al was the first to speak.

"So you two are...are from the Other Side, right?" He stuttered in awe. It was almost every alchemist's fleeting dream to know what lay within or beyond the Gate. Well, now he knew. Danny and Sam's world. There was a pause, the only sound of the wind shifting through the forest, toying with the golden locks that often shielded Ed's eyes from the world, or danced with the loin cloth about Al's hip. Danny's hair waved like a field of grass, and the end of the long, white blouse Sam wore roiled and flicked in the gentle breeze.

"That would explain things..." Ed began, voice slightly raspy, whether from shouting or astonishment, none could tell but him. Scratching his neck again, he sighed, pondering. He tried to clear his head, trying to focus on the task at hand. So many unanswered questions!

"What was...inside it..." Ed began, curious. He had only seen the Gate once before, and he often did not allow his mind to venture to that fateful night. He thought the Gate was filled with Truths, but Izumi spoke otherwise. All he knew was that it executed the Equivalent Exchange, having taken both his limbs, and one of its own beings attached his lost limbs to itself becoming...Wrath.

"Just...a bunch of black arms and bright eyes, dragging you further and further..." Sam answered, eyes staring off into the distance as she spoke, remembering the horrible nightmare of the passing through the Gate. She had read a few shelves of books on alchemy, numerous noting the existence of "The Gate". Still...they had only theorized, and no one came close to it. The closest one to guessing what the Gate held, as in other worlds, went by the name of 'Ansem'.

"I know..." Ed muttered, but cleared his throat, continuing after subduing a rather obnoxious itch in his neck, "was there anything else?"

Both Sam and Danny thought hard, but as far as Danny's mind, it remained relatively blank. All he remembered was a feeling of dread and accepting death, and a loud clap...similar to the sound Ed made when he prepared to transmute something...

"All else I remember is my hands being forced together, and all those black things hissing as some lavender light poured in from no where...then I woke up with Danny in a field, where Izumi said she found us, asleep." Sam answered, finally looking up from staring at her feet. A long, strange silence ensued, each one exchanging glances with the other, thoughts so loud and questions so tempting that one could almost hear them in the air.

* * *

_  
SH-ck, SHH-ckk._ Four heads snapped to the distance, hearing a rustling of underbrush and the vibration of branches, leaves dangling and finally subsiding. Legs becoming a roiling black mist, Danny narrowed his glowing green eyes, holding up his fists, humming with ecto-plasmic energy. 

"We have company." He spoke lowly, watching Ed correct his stance and bend his knees, holding out both hands, one of flesh, the other, composed of metal. Deep in Danny's mind, he was silently thanking whomever or whatever made the noise. The tension in the silence was getting to be almost like a physical blow.

"Brother, do you think its one of the homunculi?" Al asked nervously, but nonetheless prepared to defend himself and the present company. He was eager to do something productive or active. All this talking was making his mind blur and daze.

Ed said nothing, only narrowing his eyes. He really felt like punching something at the moment. Mostly Danny for not telling him the truth, but he was too fearful that Sam would pounce on him like a cougar if he did that. He had already noted the chipping artificial black pigment on her nails...and they just defined how sharp they were.

Sam was the only one who was not relieved. She believed in talking and working things out, and punching things was not the answer. She and Danny needed to know more about the Gate, and if Ed was a certified alchemist, surely he knew something about it, and maybe how to get back to Amity. Stepping back slightly, Sam was not shaken, only sighing in annoyance. At this point, it was just ghost hunting all over again, but with different opponents and players.

Red alchemical sparks erupted sporadically behind the large trunk of the sole tree blocking their view, and momentarily the tree glowed the same red hue, before a plume of smoke and dust flailed into the air. All four shielded their eyes from the plume, Danny and Sam expecting a loud crash of a fallen tree...but it did not come.

As the smoke dissipated, the four were met with the intimidating sight of an Ishvarlan, right arm extended to where the tree had once been, wrist displaying the beginning of a complicated network of black markings. His hands themselves were fierce looking, their grip appearing death-holding. Lifting his head, Danny and Sam gasped at the large, 'x' shaped scar across his face, red eyes glaring at them, the sight separated by small strands of white hair.

"Scar." Ed hissed, and the Ishvarlan glanced sideways at the boy. Danny just raised an eyebrow.

"Scar, like, from Lion King?" The Ishvarlan, known to Central and many others by the simple alias of 'Scar', glared at Danny, examining his floating form, and taking in his glowing green eyes and the ecto-plasm glowing on his fists.

"You are the Ghost Boy, no doubt. I have been sent here by God to send you to his right hand, for your soul must rest, and you must no longer cause havoc that endangers my people."

"No, try _crazy zealot_ Scar." Sam answered, paling. He seemed very...serious, about his task at hand. She backed away slightly. From those sparks before, she would guess he was using alchemy, the sparks signifying the visible power and energy of the transmutation. But instead of de-constructing and reconstructing the elements at hand, he left the transmutation at the 'deconstruction' part.

Lunging at Danny, he reared his right hand back, eyes focused and not leaving his floating target. Surprised, Danny hesitated, but as the arm came down, he saw Ed kicking Scar out of the way. Turning, Scar glared, flexing his open right hand.

"Do not get in my way, Fullmetal. You are no longer my Calling." As he lunged at Ed, Scar did not notice Danny release a blast of ecto-energy. Hitting him on the side, his face contorted in pain, and Scar dug his heels in the ground, stopping himself from being pushed further or knocked down. Taking this hesitation, Ed yelled, right fist reared back, ready to release. Narrowing his red eyes, Scar's right hand encompassed Ed's. A look of dread and shock spread across Ed's face.

"Ed, _NO_!" Al cried, and with that distress call, Sam suddenly rushed at Scar, leaping up. Putting her arms around his neck, his grip loosened on Ed's fist, and he withdrew his fist from Scar's grip, looking relieved, but more so, angered. Not withdrawing from the head lock, Sam gritted her teeth, Scar scrambling to get her off, not wishing to murder an innocent girl.

"Normally, I'm opposed to violence, but you're...", Sam panted, remembering exactly how Bone Saw had managed the head lock in the ring with The Flying Dutchman on last year's wrestling title before she claimed her opposition towards violence, "...you're the exception!" Finally, Scar found a grip, and his left hand easily wrapped around Sam's slender arm. Grabbing her arm in a death-grip, he threw her over his head, and shoved her into the ground, the impact knocking the wind from her, Sam in turn spluttering for air.

Placing his right hand over her face, he closed his eyes.

"May this girl be forgiven for her sins, and rest within the Heavens the great Ishbal created, for my task is for the greater good of God's children and must not be forsaken by one soul." Sam's eyes widened in fear, but she felt paralyzed, still attempting to catch her breath. His hand encompassed nearly her entire face, and her only sight was splinters of the canopy and sky.

As the black array about his right arm began to glow, Al began to rush at him, but in his mind, he knew it was too late. The transmutation occurred, and the red sparks flew. Scar stood up, about to glare back at the Ghost Boy, but he was not found. Al and Ed stood in silence, but Scar knew something was wrong. Neither looked perturbed from the girl's death.

"God's right hand, meet my right fist!"

Turning around, Scar's face connected with the speeding punch, and he fell to the ground with a loud 'thud', Danny flying over him, uncurling his fist, Sam hanging onto his shoulders about his back. Landing, he set her down. As she collapsed, breath still not caught, Al cradled her in his arms, falling to one knee. He looked up, as though idolizing Danny as his green eyes glared at Scar, he now scrambling to his feet, blood dripping down one nostril.

"Why do you not wish to be sent?" Scar growled, standing up once more, met with a most peculiar sight. Both Edward Elric and Danny Phantom were side by side, they posing to defend Alphonse Elric and Samantha Manson behind them, each smirking, fists held high. Surging at Scar, both reared back their right fists, and thrust it at the Ishvarlan.

* * *

_...End Chapter Sixteen..._


	17. The Mark Of God's Demise

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

"Now!" Edward shouted past his foe, Scar's red eyes alight with furious determination. Swiftly dodging the deadly cursed arm of the Ishvarlan man once more, Ed smirked. Down from the heavens came a ray of green, firmly pushing Scar to the ground, leaving his clothes slightly burnt and smoking. Floating down came Danny, comfortably being beside Ed in combat, Ed once more scratching the side of his neck. 

Scar got up shakily, but his will was unshaken. If he could not send the Boy directly, he would approach the situation from a different stand point. Closing his eyes, he focused, and thrust his hand to the ground, a vibration like a small tremor growing from it. With his sleeve now vaporized by the plasmic energy of Danny, the strange, black array upon his very flesh was displayed, beginning to glow violently.

"Brother! Danny! Move!" Al shouted, but their response was too late. Or, rather, Edward's was. The ground arched with red alchemical sparks, and disappeared, becoming a large hole. Yelping in surprise, Ed suddenly plummeted down. Preparing to swiftly fly down to save him, Danny was caught off guard as Scar suddenly lunged at him, successfully kicking his floating form while leaping over the hole.

"Ugh!" Danny muttered, thrown back into a tree, slumping to the ground as his legs reappeared, dazed. His head ached, and he no longer heard Ed's cries to the lands above. His luminous green eyes watched as Scar, walking as though none had ever attempted to defeat him, stood over him, glaring down at Danny. Kneeling, his massive hand encompassed Danny's head, and the array began to glow.

However, this time, he spoke aloud no prayer, only focusing on the task at hand. For a moment, Danny felt paralyzed with fear, and speculated if this was the sensation Sam had before he had made her intangible to save her. But as the alchemical sparks danced around Scar's destructive right arm, he fell forward, a solid form no longer there to support his arm.

"Bet ya can't...uh..."

"De-construct." Al finished Danny's phrase.

"Yeah, de-construct, what ya can't touch!" Willing himself solid once passing through Scar's passive form, Danny thrust his fist back, but felt a death-grip catch it, and with much quicker reflexes, the red sparks began to flow. Struggling, mind buzzing with too many thoughts to focus on anything else, human instincts took over Danny.

"**HYEAA!"** Leaping forth from the transmuted pit, Ed held high a silver decorated harpoon, and as he fell back to solid ground, began to bring the blade down. With no choice but to defend himself, Scar withdrew his destructive right arm from Danny's captive fist, and grabbed the pole just below the blade. In one swift motion, the harpoon was obliterated, but Ed was back on his feet, he and Danny preparing to subdue Scar once and for all.

"How'd you get out?" Danny asked, glancing to Ed beside him.

"Holes have walls, you know. Transmuting a staircase was only a matter of adjusting my body accordingly while falling so I could get to it. Creating the harpoon was just a plus." Scar lunged at the two, each darting to one side as he did so. Coming behind him, each rammed into Scar, shoving him into his own contraption - his pit.

Looking over the edge, Ed waved good bye happily.

"Won't he get out? I mean, he can do that crazy magic stuff-"

"Alchemy. It's alchemy. No magic to it." Ed answered, turning from both Danny and the pit, scratching his neck again as he slipped the maroon coat from him, shoving it into his suitcase, leaving on the black top and pants, the early afternoon climbing in temperature. Not to mention the few tears the jacket had received.

"And, no. Scar is against alchemy, but uses it to murder other alchemists. He only knows how to destroy, not create." Looking over the edge, Danny could not see anything but the shadows, and whistled at how far down it was.

"Jeez. What a hypocrite." Danny turned, and suddenly rushed over to Sam, leaning against Al's chest as each sat down, her breathing still sporadic. He knelt down before her, looking into her pained amethyst eyes. She feigned a smile.

"I'm fine." Wincing in pain, she bit her lip, pushing herself up. However, she was met with a gentle hand, pushing her back. Taking the gesture as an invitation, she leaned back against Al's cold armor, beginning to warm under her body heat, muttering 'thanks' to Danny.

"I...I think she might've bruised a rib or somethin'." Al spoke, voice low and crackling slightly. Spreading out his arms, he leaned back, allowing Sam to rest in peace, still attempting to control her breathing. Although it was shallow, there was more of a pattern to it now. Behind them, Ed brushed off his hands, having transmuted the earthen staircase back into the original pit wall, and now made his way over to his brother, Danny, and Sam.

" You okay?" Ed asked, looking at Sam in concern. Smirking maliciously, she nodded, coughing.

"I hate...religious zealots. Don't stuff religion down other peoples' throats...I mean, I chose to be atheist."

"You're an atheist, too? Yes, I'm not alone!" Ed cheered, having no personal interest in believing something that does not exist. It seemed all the troubles of the world revolved around religion, and he did not want a part of it. Besides, alchemists were the closest things to god. He himself was a god. If one can create and destroy, can one not be considered a god?

"Too bad she lives in anotha world." Danny put in, laughing. Ed's frown and glaring eyes only deepened Danny's life, Alphonse joining in, Sam chuckling slightly but refraining from extraneous laughter, even breathing hurting her. Standing up, Ed looked about, then turned to Danny.

"Can you search the area for some kind-a town or Inn or something?" He asked, feeling awkward. It was the first time he had ever asked a favor of these two, let alone asking a ghost to fly around looking for a place to stay. Danny raised an eyebrow, but nodded, muttering an 'I'll be back' to Sam as he flew through the canopy, rustling the trees a bit, then disappearing to the naked eye as he flew inconspicuously in broad daylight.

The remaining three then began hearing Scar yelling and shouting in angry defiance, beginning to destroy the pit walls, just making his prison even larger.

"We'd better get moving. Danny will be able to find us." Ed suggested, and picked up his briefcase. Sam forced herself to stand, but could not. Tripping, Al deftly caught her, and hoisted her into his metal arms, cradling her like a child to his massive form. Scowling at being carried like a child, but not exactly refusing the help, the three pushed on, leaving the Ishvarlan zealot to yell into the nothingness at the bottom of his own pit.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Sam?" Al asked, breaking the calm silence between the three, the only slight noise the controlled breathing of Sam, the inhales and exhales still faint. Leading the way was Ed, hacking away at brush with a small, transmuted dagger, already getting dull after the few slashes they had used to cut through a rhododendron. 

"Better." Sam croaked, coughing a bit after she spoke. As her coughing continued, Al tensed, acting as though he were a mother carrying a sick child, trying to protect it. Sam's coughing subsided, and she turned her head, watching as Ed silently stalked through the forest, their path clear for the moment. Her amethyst eyes lingered on him, finally resting on his visible metal fist, clutching the transmuted dagger in it.

"Ed, how did that happen?" She asked, voice low and hoarse. A moment of silence separated the question from the answer, but the answer came, nonetheless.

"I made a mistake, and this is my punishment for it." Al sighed at Ed's answer.

_He always blames himself for everything...when will he lighten up and realize it wasn't just his fault._ Al thought sullenly, knowing that his punishment was the armor physically appearing as Alphonse Elric. And besides this, Al also knew Ed's answer would not be good enough to quench Sam's insatiable curiosity.

"Punishment for what?"

"For attempting human transmutation." Ed slashed at a bush, hacking away at it to clear the path. Sam coughed, trying to disguise her astonishment. Every single Alchemy book she had read all spoke of human transmutation as a forbidden art, dark alchemy, and devil's work, much as they seemed to describe the Philosopher's Stone. As Ed fell in silence, Al just nodded, looking down to Sam in his arms.

"Our mother died when we were young, and we tried to bring her back...and this is what happened."

"And your Mom?" Sam rasped, truly coughing this time around. Al just shook his head, baffling Sam. Between the two of the Elrics, there was plenty of powerful alchemy, and even with their talents and Ed giving up his arm, they still had not brought her back. More importantly, Sam wondered what it was like to lose a mother. Sure, her mother was pushy, over-bearing, and frowned upon Sam's style of clothing, but she still loved her...

Time passed, the only sounds between the three of slashing at plants, coughing, and the soft rubbing of metal against metal. Though the sun cast long afternoon shadows now, Danny had not returned. Sam had eased in and out of rest a few times now, Ed himself slowing down the pace, sweat beading on his forehead. Finally, as the sun wavered above the horizon, Ed stopped, slinking to the ground.

"Okay, break time..." Al stopped at Ed's words, remaining standing, Sam having dosed off in his arms. After Ed caught his breath, he remained sitting, and lifted the pant leg on his left, revealing the artificial limb, sunlight glinting off the metallic surface.

"Hurting again?" Al asked softly, watching as his brother massaged the area that transferred from flesh to metal, it appearing to be swollen slightly. As he did so, he began vigorously scratching his neck, the skin there also appearing a bit swollen.

"A bit, but I'm mostly really itchy..."

"Ed, I...I think you have a rash." Quirking an amber eye at his younger brother, Ed continued to scratch his neck.

"I'm fine..." He muttered, continuing to itch his neck as he pulled down the pant leg with his free hand. Ed wiped the sweat from his brow, and fanned himself, glancing to the transmuted dagger. Clapping his hands, he placed it on the weapon, blue sparks erupting sporadically from it, dying down to reveal its edge to be sharp once more.

"Ed..." Al whispered fiercely, trying to catch his brother's attention while not waking Sam. Groaning as he stood, Ed turned to his brother, expression pleading him to go on.

"What are we gonna do...with Sam 'n Danny, I mean?" The air remained quiet for a few moments, Ed thinking in detail about this query.

"I really don't know...if what they say is true, then they can only get back to their world through the Gate...'n the only way we can get to the Gate is if we get the Philosopher's Stone to return you to your normal body..."

"Not before we get your real arm and leg back from Wrath." Al put in hastily, Ed just rolling his eyes at his brother.

"Does that mean...they're stayin' with us?" Al finally asked as Ed began pressing on, he following close behind, their path clear for the moment.

"I guess...I'm not about to just hand over what those homunculis want." Ed added, ceasing his ever-growing itching on his neck, it appearing red and blotchy now. The three stopped as they heard something above the canopy. Waiting, Danny suddenly materialized before Ed, becoming visible once more.

"Gah!" Ed breathed in surprise, jumping back a bit, not expecting such. Danny just laughed, but then drew back, in turn, from him, green eyes glued to Ed's swollen neck.

"What happened to you?"

"Is it really that bad!" Ed shouted, bearing his teeth like fangs.

"Okay, okay! Sorry. Jeez. Anyway, there's an Inn about a half a mile that way," Danny pointed to his right, "from here, and there's a small farming town by the river a little ways off from the Inn. And trust me, they like to farm...I'll be scrubbin' for a week before I can get the smell of cow off of me." At that mention, Ed made a face, the scent of cows wafting into his nose, Danny shrinking away from his own arm as he inhaled the strong scent.

"Phew. You're ripe, Danny." Ed spoke, waving away the smell. Danny furrowed his eyebrows, matching Ed's pace in a more graceful, floating manner as they moved west.

"Next time, you fly a few miles over cow pastures, and we'll see how you smell!"

"Better than that." Ed smirked, and dodged a playful ecto-blast, making his laughing harder. Danny just huffed, crossing his arms as he floated beside Ed, legs visible and in a resting position.

"So...Danny..." Ed began, catching the ghost's attention as he slashed away some stray branches from their path. Danny turned his head to him, side-glancing once to Al, Sam sleeping peacefully in his great, metal arms.

"What was your plan?"

"Uh...my plan?" Danny chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, I mean, your plan to get back home..."

"Oh, that plan...I, uh, well..." Ed glanced to Danny for a moment, smirking.

"You don't have one?" Danny remained silent.

"You're not very bright, are you?"

"Hey, I get enough of that at school! I don't need it from you!" Laughing, Ed paused, hacking away a bush. A green ray came from his right, and in an instant, the bush was gone, he falling forward as his dagger had nothing to cut. Fumbling to get his balance, he turned, glaring at Danny, who had taken the liberty of conveniently looking in the opposite direction, whistling innocently.

* * *

**  
Author's Notes:** Please, read and review. I enjoy _constructive_ criticism, and do not enjoy being flamed. If there is something that irks you to a high degree, either PM me personally or word it constructively in a review. Thanks. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! 


	18. Crisis of Large and Small

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist. However, the unique plots and events I put the characters through are original creations of my own mind.

* * *

Word of the neighboring village's disturbing decimation had finally reached the townsfolk of Verna, and the whole of the farming village collapsed into itself. A curfew went out to all women and children, among them unarmed men, even those considered most intelligent by Verna's standards. The Inn Keep, Garand, was among those burly men who patrolled the village streets. Though they often heard of the horrors of war, they themselves had never been affected by the dispute between the government and the Ishvarlans, until now.

With a drowsy gaze, Garand scrubbed away at rings of moisture from the mugs of beer at the bar, boisterous clients no longer found. Within the hours of recognition of Verna's neighboring village, Akaer, many did not dare venture far from the town center, the Inn laying a bit ways off from the town, perched atop a hill overlooking the quaint agricultural village, fields stretching out to the horizon as the forest thinned to the west.

"Garand!" Looking up from his mindless work, Garand watched as a young woman from the town ran in, black skin moist with sweat, appearing quite flustered, her braids in disarray. As she caught her breath, Garand wiped the sleep from his eyes, patiently awaiting the young girl's words.

"In...the forest...there...is..."

"Out with it, Larkena, but don't kill yourself over it." The girl, Larkena, straightened, taking a few extra moments to catch her breath before blurting out the news.

"There-are-some-strangers-coming-to-the-Inn-from-the-forest, coming-from-Akaer!" In one breath, Larkena sighed, having finally spoken aloud the news she brought. While attempting to find a stray calf, she had come across a strange pathway, seemingly hacked away. She had followed it, finding two boys a few years older than she, and a scary looking man in a suit of armor carrying a girl around the age of the boys she was with, though unconscious.

For a moment, Garand said nothing, and as Larkena awaited his request to fetch their small town's defenses, he gestured to dismiss her, and returned to his scrubbing. Mouth wide, she stared at Garand with a dumbfound expression on her face.

"What, your just gonna let them waltz in here?"

"Yes. The Inn is open to all, even strangers who happen upon a town in crisis."

"One was a certified alchemist! I saw it!" At this, Garand paused, gazing up at Larkena, a young ferocity in her baby blue eyes.

"That proves nothing."

"Dad's right. You have lost your manhood since _she_ died." Garand looked away in disgust, eyes saddened at the painful words of Larkena as she left him be, empty in the Inn, and yet, an angry flare to them, perhaps at the hidden truth behind her words. Glancing up at the wall behind his desk, he sighed, turning away from the expanse of photos, and made sure his rifle was loaded and tucked away in his drawer.

* * *

"Finally! We're here!" Ed beamed, running towards the Inn, feeling as though tears of joy could run down his face. It was dusk now, and he was tired, hungry, and desperately needed to wash the smell of cow from him, the farm animal stench seeming to emanate from Danny and enter his own body, his black top beginning to reek of the beef creatures.

"We probably could've been here sooner if it weren't for your little trip..." Danny spoke smugly, walking from the thinning forest, legs in tact. Mentally, he grimaced at the thought of going back into public in his ghost form. There was no way for him to do anything helpful...it would expose him as a ghost. Though he was beginning to worry over the fact he could not change back into Danny Fenton, he pushed those thoughts aside, trying to focus on the task at hand.

As Al emerged with Sam, now awake in his arms, she squirmed, not wanting to be seen being carried by a guy in a huge armor suit like a child. She glared at Al who had refused to let her walk for about twenty times now, he insisting she should lay off walking until they had a doctor check out her rib cage. So, she resorted to sulking.

After Ed had silently thanked the appearance of the Inn, he turned on his heel, glaring furiously at Danny, the ghost boy examining the Inn and village from the ground.

"You knew that hunter's trap was there, and if you had told me...then we wouldn't all be so tired!" He spoke sternly, a slight twitch in his eye. Unfortunately for him, the trigger had caught his right leg, instead of his left, and had hoisted his flailing form into the air, rope burns still on his ankle. Danny just looked away passively, scratching his neck.

"Would you two stop fighting and get on with it!" Sam asked irritably, voice immediately attracting the attention of the two bickering boys. They glanced to each other for strength, shrugging uncertainly, scared to irritate Sam anymore, she already rather frustrated at Al for not letting her walk.

As Ed and Danny climbed the few steps to the porch of the Inn, they heard rustling within the building. Pausing, each looked up to the door curiously as a large man stepped forth, aiming a rifle at Edward's head. Al gasped, Sam just huffing, annoyed even more. Her trust in Ed's fate was completely with Danny, though she was slightly worried.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" The man demanded fiercely, but his eyes read otherwise. The hazel eyes were filled with a deep remorse and a hidden sympathy and pain, but with the rifle in his hands, none of it really mattered. Ed slowly put his arms in the air, looking cross.

"I'm...Vlad, and these are my friends, Dan, Winry, and...Tucker." Ed spoke, smoothing over his pauses, amber eyes glancing to check that he placed the silver pocket watch in his suitcase, refusing to leave any residual trail for the Military to follow, the names just popping into his head, the first things he could think of.

"We've been traveling to find a doctor for Winry. She might have a broken rib, and want to rest at the Inn." Ed, or 'Vlad', finished, narrowing his eyes at the barrel of the gun obscuring his vision. After a moment, the man lowered his rifle, sighing. Placing the weapon at his side, he motioned for the four to enter, hazel eyes avoiding their curious glares.

The four entered uneasily, constantly eyeing the man with the rifle at his side, however his posture and eyes read a deep regret. Still, both Danny and Ed were rather rigid. The man sighed, placing the gun away, and standing behind his respective desk.

"It'll be forty for the lot of ya." The man muttered. At the mention of money, both Sam and Danny snapped their attention to Ed. He merely hissed, muttering things about 'cheap', and he withdrew the amount in cash, grateful he had withdrawn the money from his military account when he had. Silently, the Inn keep took the money, grabbing a key, and led them upstairs without a word.

"This room is for all of ya. I'll get the doctor in the morning." As the Inn keep left, Al placed Sam on the bed, her face contorting in pain as she moved, but relaxing once laid across the mattress. Not a Sealy, but it would do. Danny was immediately at her side, and his constant worry was beginning to annoy Sam. She merely shot him a glance with her deadly amethyst eyes, but Danny stood there.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, sighing. Sam quirked an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"I didn't get to you in time. That stupid guy...I just...just...sorry..."

"Danny, it's not your fault, so stop beating yourself up before I have to." Sam smirked, and the double-edged comment actually lifted his spirits. The moment was interrupted when they heard a yell. Danny rushed into the bathroom, only to see Ed's spirits as low as the floor, horrified at his reflection. Al and Danny just laughed, but then Ed turned on them, stalking out. At the foot of the bed, his nose flared, horns grew from his head, and a pitchfork as held in his hand.

**"YOU! YOU DID THIS!"**

"Who, me?" Sam said off hand, forcing her chuckle down, bashfully looking away from a hysteric Edward.

**_"YES, YOU! YOU TURNED ME INTO THIS...THIS BLOATED TOMATO MAN!"_** It was then no one could hold anything in any longer. Danny, Al, and Sam all burst into laughter, Sam even going so far as conserving some of her laughter to withdraw the pain, but make her amusement at Ed's rash obvious. His face had blown up like a balloon, it seeming that hundreds of stolen acorns were hidden in his cheeks, white skin splotched with red as though Van Go had one too many drinks and picked up a red paintbrush.

"Don't blame me. How was I supposed to know you were allergic to that fruit?"

**"YOU SAID YOU RECOGNIZED IT!"** Ed cursed under his breath, going into another itching spell, vigorously scratching at his face, neck, and chest.

"Oh, well...I guess the plants here are different from back home." Sam just shrugged, and watched in amusement as Ed threw a tantrum in all its glory, cussing left and right, stomping on the floor, cursing every living (and non-living) thing in his wake, and finding new ways to insult inanimate objects. Even when he called Sam an 'ass' or Danny a 'bastard', they just kept laughing. Edward was just digging himself a bigger hole. Kind of like...well, Scar.

* * *

Author's Note: I apologize a thousand times over for the delay. Expect, at this point, a chapter a month or every three weeks. Everything has been hectic for me lately. I hope you enjoyed it. And, if you recall, Sam had fed Ed particular fruit, and no one else had any. Over the few chapters, he's developed a hideous allergic reaction, but no one told him. It worsened after a few minutes in the Inn, and finally : BLOATED TOMATO MAN!


End file.
